A/N: OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH FUUUUUUUCKKKKKK MEEEEEEEEEEE. Hey everyone, go on, get it out. Hate me and curse me all you want, I 100 percent deserve all the hatred. I've had a few rough months at work and had to focus on my work. I actually didn't plan to post anything until next week or maybe 2 weeks. But! I got insane drunk with some friends last week and ended updating, or so I thought. Imagine my surprise when I woke up and found out I accidentally published a new story I was planning on releasing in a few months. It made me mad, even though it got some nice love from fans, because i started a new story and haven't updated this story in so long. So I decided to strap into my chair, with some help from the snow storm, shout out to the east coast. And get the next chapter out to you. I know how everyone who has been waiting for an update will feel at the end of this chapter, but don't worry this snow ain't going away anytime soon. I'll get the next part out ASAP! Please enjoy and leave a review/favorite/follow!

(*8*)

It's time to finish this isn't it, Panda?"

Growling in anger was the response he kind of expected to receive. The pressure on the Kunai's was massive, the steel ninja weapon began to bend inwards. "What do you think you are doing Taichou (Captain)? Move! Now!" A male voice shouted back.

"I'm afraid that's not an option." The Captain felt the two elite level chakra sources looking on at the scene. He really had to bite down on every fiber in his body. All of his focus has to be on this fight, if he spared a glance to 'her'. It was unclear if his gaze could be torn away. "Letting one of my subordinate's kill the Hokage would look bad, both physically and on my record. How about you come to T&I quietly, there's a nice cell with your name all over it. The hospitality may be lacking but I heard the cafeteria food has gotten better since they hired the new cook."

A little banter back and forth made fights all the more entertaining, the Captain hoped for a little more, knowing well who was under that Panda mask. They hated to be mocked. Now, though, was the time to realize taking too much time before a fight could prove to be detrimental to the outcome.

Blue Kanji marks appeared suddenly on the arms and neck of the attacking ANBU. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Panda withdrew his Kunai, stumbling backwards until he hit the wall. The ANBU member began to thrash uncontrollably, the pain reaching deep within his chakra network, bearing resemblance to a man being hit with a Raiton (Lightning) Release.

The Captain gathered his bearings and stood in his Taijutsu stance. The memories of a few days prior were just beginning to circulate his brain, nothing in these recent memories gave the answer to why one of the ANBU of Konoha seemed to be marked with some sort of curse. Thinking about it, it more or less resembled the curse marks used by the snake-teme himself, Orochimaru. Although, the writing seemed to be more formal, written by an advanced sealer more than likely.

Tsunade stood motionless, not really getting the grasp of the situation until what the Captain said earlier made its way too her ears. Why in Kami's name is a member of the ANBU Black Ops trying to stab a Kunai into their leader's body while he's bed ridden? They were evaluated by veterans and retirees on their loyalty, trained to know the difference from right and wrong on their own wills, not like those puppets from ROOT that bastard Danzo created. Most of the ANBU from her days as Hokage were still in the department, she recognized most when she saw them, except for this Panda. It must be a man picked by Naruto and the veterans at the beginning of his reign of Hokage.

A more important question is, was this some sort of personal grudge, or was there more going on here? Even though Tsunade made no sign of intervening in this fight, she was going to be there when it was over. Even if the Captain, also a new ANBU appointed by Naruto himself, was protecting the body of the Hokage. He obviously knew something about what is going on.

Tsunade was never one to jump to conclusions, but, with Naruto unable to continue his Hokage duties. The role of Hokage fell back to the predecessor. Kakashi, to her knowledge is still on a mission assigned to him by Naruto, and to mention he's under limited contact. The only one that could get in contact is the man who sent him, seeing as though that's impossible, Kakashi wouldn't be back. That left her.

After her term, Tsunade swore to herself she would never take to the hat again, wanting to leave behind her days of leading Konohagakure. She prayed, prayed this day would never become a reality. She wanted Naruto to enjoy his life as the Hokage, to fulfill his dream and live the life he wanted but was denied at birth. Looking at the condition her son was in, the bruises, cuts, blood and broken body parts. Her mind was right then and there made up.

'One last time Naruto.' Tsunade thought as determination sparkled in her eyes. Looking intently at the two ANBU in front of her. 'One last time, I'll take up the hat. You better wake up fast and take it back from me, I was never fit for a 2nd leadership term.'

The screaming suddenly cut off, the ANBU assassin was on his hands and knees, gasping for oxygen to fill his lungs. The blue Kanji marks were slightly faded, but imprinted there nonetheless. The neck and ankles were the only parts not covered by his black cloak, but it was safe to assume the rest of his body was covered with the marks. The chakra signature from Panda was below safe levels, the perfect opportunity to detain him without causing damage. Yet, the Captain found himself deep in thought. If the mark was indeed based off the one created by Orochimaru then he needed to be extra careful.

Shinobi known to be branded with this mark had varying side effects. It gave exceptional power to the user, even without it being activated. But, when it was activated then shit could get real, real fast. Sasuke of the Uchiha clan was a good example. The varying stages only got deadlier, a fight with a curse marked shinobi in stage three is never fun. And it gets worse when it takes place in the middle of a hospital, surrounded by obstacles, civilians and the injured. The mark was also known to mess with ones emotions, maybe messing with the young ANBU member was rather stupid, The KI never wavered from Panda. Being mad was an understatement. And anger right now equaled power.

Inching forward, The Captain was ready for anything. The mark may be a pain but he's had enough fighting experience against it to know how to handle the source of power. As he got closer it sounded a lot like the man who was attempting to kill the Hokage was cursing 10 times a second under his breath. It made the Captain shiver slightly, some of the words didn't sound like coherent speech, was he speaking a different language?

'Click'

"Move! NOW!"

Hinata didn't know what pushed her instincts into gear. What the Captain said and how he said it clicked within herself. In record time she grabbed a hold of the Godaime and pulled the two of them out the door.

The Captain discarded his Kunai and turned just in time to wrap his body around the unconscious Hokage. Flames, of the deepest azure spread throughout the hospital room, claiming everything it could reach and turning it to ash. If they stayed in here, they would become a pile of ashes. The Captain cursed fire, he always hated it.

"Hopefully these aren't needed." IV's and other wires were ripped from the Hokage's skin, which usually trips the heart monitor. Too bad the heart monitor was 80 percent burnt to a crisp, no noises were to come from that piece of equipment ever again.

He collected the body of the Nanadaime and vaulted over the bed as the fire caught the edge of the bed, setting it ablaze instantly. The Captain lowered his shoulder and listened to the sound of rushing wind and shattering glass. The night air swallowed him with ease, taking but a few seconds for the sounds of metal plated Shinobi sandals to hit the concrete.

The Captain looked down at the body he held in his hands, the Nanadaime Hokage covered with injuries and medical gauze preventing his eyes from seeing more. Seeing the body in this state made him feel angsty. He didn't like the idea of people seeing the Hokage in a weak state like this, beaten in a fight and sent to unconsciousness. His man card may be hurt with the civilians and other shinobi from different nations. But, in the long run, this would keep the village safe and he couldn't ask for anything more.

He was lucky the memories he recalled told him of what was coming. That was, in layman's terms, security countermeasures. Unfortunately at the moment the info he needed on these marks were still lost in his thoughts, just what happened when the user was in trouble.

"Traitor."

Eyes widening behind his fox mask, the Captain couldn't believe what was going on. Everything seemed to slow down as the man he believed to still be in the burning hospital room was suddenly behind him. There was no noise or chakra signature, he just somehow appeared there. 'Is this the work of the curse?'

"Have you forgotten the words of our master?" The Captain felt a pair of Kunai to his neck, blood dripped down his neck, Panda was putting deathly pressure on the skin. He willed his brain into overdrive, thinking of ways to get out of this situation with his head still on his shoulders.

"If so, you know too much of his plans. Your days of walking amongst the living are over. It's time for you to join the ranks of the dead and do not worry, I will take good care of Sparrow for you. She will be heartbroken to hear what you tried to do, but she will get over it, that I am sure of."

The Kunai were pushed a little further in, causing the Captain to forsake his morality. This was going to haunt his dreams but he just couldn't die now, he can't allow Konohagakure to be overrun by his personal guards. Kami, please forgive me.

Panda felt the chakra surge too late and felt the weight change as a smoke cloud appeared in his hands. He pushed the weapon forward and still felt the resistance of flesh and bone. He smiled, this was the Captain he knew and slightly worshipped. Too bad he seemed to have a change of heart.

Sparrow was going to be crushed to hear of this news. In fact everyone was, the Captain was the mantle of strength for the entire group, they all molded their power after the man and they all received heartfelt praises in return for their hard work. Especially her.

Speculation went around the group to as why Sparrow was always a loner and emotionally distraught. Some guessed she had a hard childhood, something befitting of the shinobi world. Then maybe it was something she encountered in battle when she was on the job. Either way, when Fox, his name before being appointed ANBU Captain. Joined the ranks, major changes followed suite.

The two of them became inseparable after a few weeks, the beginning weeks being made up of Sparrow trying to ignore the 'pestering rookie' as she used to put it. But, being put in the same squad was counterproductive to the whole avoiding thing she was trying to do.

The Captain knows why she is always devoid of emotions, he is the only one in the whole village. Many tried to get him to spill the secret, but he is a man who keeps his word and the day he learned about the problems of Sparrow, he vowed to never disclose the information.

Which is why the master trusted the Fox to keep the secrets of the plan. No one believed he would betray the cause. What happened in that fight with the Nanadaime?

The smoke at last cleared. Standing there with two Kunai prodding through their neck was not the Captain, but a nurse of the hospital. Said nurse felt blood clogging her esophagus and tears stinging her eyes. Tsk, Panda bit his lip in annoyance. This girl was a real looker, too bad she was going to waste.

"Wh-wha." One moment she was leaving the hospital, her shift finally over. The Hokage being injured sent the whole department she worked with into a frenzy and her boss made her stay late to help with anything the doctors needed. Hours later she was walking home when this whole thing happened. She felt so much pain, she didn't understand how or why?

"I should've known you would pull a trick like this Taichou, you always were one to put the mission before anyone else. The substitution jutsu is a wonderful thing, is it not?" the last part Panda whispered into the ear of the nurse, she only had time to gasp before he slashed the ninja weapons out and cut through the rest of the bone and skin.

He was gone before the head of the nurse hit the pavement.

(*8*)

The Captain took in his surroundings, it looked like he was but a few blocks away from the Hospital. Judging by who was chasing him, there would be only a minute maybe two before he caught up. The Captain began to sprint away, the weight of the Hokage was becoming greater by the second, as he weighed his options.

It was about 1 in the morning, the train system was closed for the night. He could try and run but eventually they would meet up again and a fight would follow. A fight with no hands available is not satisfactory, there had to be a place where he could drop the body off.

He ran by an intersection and caught a glimpse of the street name. 'Bingo'

A well-known restraunt, at least in the past few months, stood there like an eye sore. Buildings and skyscrapers have been constructed around the small shack, the owner not wanting to change a single thing about the outside. The inside had more chairs, as to accompany the major amount of people during lunch time.

If memory serves, the apartment next door was owned by the same people that owned the restraunt. They would take care of the Nanadaime, while the fight went on.

The apartment was nothing glamorous to look at, built just to keep the owners inside and in a warm environment. The Captain stopped at the blue front door and looked at his surroundings for any wandering eyes. He didn't feel anything and banged on the fragile piece of wood for a good 20 seconds. He immediately went back to watching the roofs of buildings for the man chasing him, each second ticking by, while the nerves of the Captain were being fried.

"Do you know what time it is!?"

The Captain turned around and felt relief when at last the homeowner answered.

Ayame hated it when people disturbed her sleep, especially after a long day of serving customers. She may complain at times about running the restraunt, saying how tired she always is and how her personal life is at about 0. But, this was something her father loved to do and taught her how to make the world's best ramen. If she told herself she hated pleasing people with her food, then she would be lying to herself.

Her father loved to serve people good food, and that rubbed off onto her, especially when her father passed away two years ago. She wanted to continue his 'Legacy' in Konoha and to do that she needed her sleep at night.

Although, another thing kept her in the Ramen business and that was one person. The Nanadaime Hokage, Konoha's number one unpredictable knucklehead. The memories of her life all had two people in them her father and the loud blonde, Naruto. When the old Ichiraku ramen was destroyed from the Pain fight, it destroyed her father's spirit. He refused to do anything else that wasn't using the restroom and occasionally eating. Then, Naruto happened.

He re-built the Ramen stand along with one of his friends. Giving it the same nostalgic look on the outside and extra space for more customers on the inside. Naruto even paid for the first few deliveries of ingredients, so they could get off the ground without being in debt.

That meant the world to Ayame and she valued her friendship with the jinchūriki. Seeing her father smile again after an extended period of time. She lost one of her most precious person with her father, then right in front of her face was the only other person in the Shinobi nations that gave her life meaning.

"You are Ayame? Correct?"

Ayame numbly nodded, not really taking the time to look at the white cloaked ANBU member, covered in dirt and ashes. No, all of her senses were focused on the blonde man draped on the arms of the ANBU.

"I need you to hide with the Nanadaime." Ayame had no choice in the matter, she knew that, and simply moved out of the doorway. The Captain walked in and through knowing the inside of the house hooked a right into the first doorway and came into the living room. Ayame followed closely behind, taking off her slippers she had on in the process.

The Captain gently laid Naruto on the couch. Ayame quickly came to his side and looked at both the wounds and medical gauze covering the man. "What the hell happened to Naruto-kun? What is going on?"

"Unfortunately-"

"No!" Ayame stood from her carpeted floor and got in the ANBU's personal space. The Captain cursed himself for taking a step back, only Ayame would have the guts to stand up against an elite ANBU as a civilian. "You have brought the Nanadaime Hokage, my dearest friend, to my home in the middle of the night. Bruised, bloodied and bandaged. Now, I'm sure you weren't going to tell me some bullshit like 'It's an S-rank secret.' Am I correct ANBU-san?

The Captain felt like a cornered animal in the gaze of the Ramen chef. His emotions were filtering his way through the logical side of him, he tried so hard to think of a way to get out of this situation. So he came to the best compromise he could think of.

"This is a SS-rank secret, anyone who divulges the information will be executed on the spot, by orders of the Nanadaime Hokage." The look Ayame was giving didn't falter an inch, much to the annoyance of the Captain. Was this girl seriously not afraid of being killed for knowing of a SS-rank secret? She'd make one hell of a shinobi if it was possible. "Look, I understand you want to know why your friend is in this condition. Right now all I can tell you is a man trying to kill the Nanadaime is chasing me."

Ayame spared a glance to Naruto, 'Even when he endured everything possible in life, more obstacles have to show their head.'

"You need to stay here and keep an eye on him, while I fight the assassin. If all goes well, I'll be back to collect him but if-."

Spinning around to face the window of the living room, The Captain reached into his back satchel packet and grabbed two scrolls. Just as the wall of the room bursted into flames, two balls of fire heading right towards him.

The Captain let the scrolls unravel in front of him. Elegant brush strokes lined the paper, with an open circle in the middle.

Ayame looked at the man like he was insane, she jumped on top of Naruto, praying the flames would somehow miss them. She wasn't ready to die yet, Ayame still had so many things to do in life.

The flames circulated, the air becoming harder to breath and as the flame bullet made its way to them. They began to be sucked into the scroll paper, right where the open circle was. Except now a red kanji mark appeared, the flames heading right into it. The Captain felt the sweat drip down every inch of his face, watching as the flames disappeared into his sealing scroll.

"Fūka Hōin." (Sealing Jutsu: Fire Seal)

The last bits of fire were lost into the sealing scroll, the red kanji mark that absorbed the flames, turned black. The Captain breathed a sigh of relief and reached into his white cloak to deposit of the used sealing scrolls, maybe it would be useful for later.

There in the street standing in the Taijutsu stance of his clan was Panda. He was on all four's looking like a rabid animal, deep azure Chakra radiating off of his body, strong enough for the naked eye to see. "Get out of that house you coward, the Taichou I know never ran from a fight!"

The Captain lifted the bottom of his mask up, letting his other hand scratch the sweat from his face. Ayame tried super hard to get any glimpse of the man's face. Ayame knew she was always curious about the people under those masks. Ever since she got a glimpse of Kakashi's face years ago, the idea that someone else could be hiding such beauty behind a piece of cloth or mask was unbearable.

"Take the Nanadaime and hide, it's going to get ugly."

"Wait!" The Captain stopped his advance, he was a few steps from reaching the streets once more. "You didn't finish your sentence earlier, what happens if you don't come back and get Naruto-kun?"

The Captain laughed somberly, "If that happens, then you better pray the Godaime is here to save the Nanadaime's life and yours as well."

Ayame paled at that and began to collect Naruto into her arms, having a good idea where to hide in her attic. The Captain heard the shuffling of the two pairs of feet behind her and walked out into the night, preparing for the next battle.