AN: I have clearly veered away from Canon before and I am doing so again. I hope you all enjoy. This took me a very long time to find out what to have happen. As tends to happen though what I was going for became hijacked by characters. I'm still not sure I like this, but as it's been so long since I updated fighting this, I've given in. This is not the way I was planning to take this at all.

()()()()()()

Naruto may have played the bumbling idiot, and he may have spent half his time at school with civilians. This however, gave him an unusual skill set to draw off. The history and tales the civilian's learned in literature classes were never touched on in the ninja academy. They were greatly expanded on, dissected, and adjusted with heavy emphasis on 'what would you have done if it were you'. It was always Naruto's favorite subject.

He had never truly realized what a boon it would be though, towards his life in the shadows. Not relying on chakra, Naruto climbed and shifted along the outer face of the Hokage's bedroom walls. His fingers and toes -currently his sandals were tightly wrapped at his belt in cloth to give him better grip- were seeking out tiny ways to grip the walls. He resembled a gecko at the moment, not using chakra at all but sheer muscle and skill to stay in the shadows and maneuver up the wall. Chakra could be detected. Because of that people didn't really worry about the construction on repair of the old building so much and there were lots of areas with eaves and places the grout had worn a bit free that a small child could cling to. If truly careful. He kept to the shadows, his hair under a dark gray bit of cloth, another firmly wrapped around his nose and mouth to muffle the sounds of his breathing. His attire was snug, but loose enough to allow him full range of motion. Dark gray rather than black so he'd blend into the shadows and not stand out so far if they were less than pitch.

Naruto went slowly.

His fingers were sore and toes felt like he may have lost a nail at some point. Holding still was the hardest but he needed to periodically to ensure that no one was going by. No one heard the ever so faint rustle of fabric.

Finally, Naruto perched on the small decorative roof over the smaller bathroom window. There was no one inside. People never really set traps to the small ventilation windows, because after all what adult would go through them? Naruto was careful to test the tiles first, before he clamped his legs on either side of the two foot wide decorative overhang and then dropped his upper body so he was almost folded. There were a few small cobwebs and even a spider that dropped onto his face. He calmly brushed it away and went to work with a few tiny tools. All of which were rubbed in a specialized powder and tipped so they wouldn't create a scratching sound. Luckily it seemed the Hokage or someone in his family had bathed earlier and left the window cracked for air. Removing the screen was fast, Naruto tied it to drape below the window far enough he wouldn't budge it with a bit of the extra cord he always had on his person. Slowly, looking effortless even as the sheer muscle control made Naruto remember hours under Anrui and his uncle's tutelage of learning to control each movement, Naruto pulled himself inside. He lowered himself just as slowly.

It ached, he was aware he was trembling from the effort but slow and controlled and silent was the end result. Carefully placing his feet ball first and side rolling to lessen the sound of each step, he crouched along nearly on all fours. Using every one of his senses and skills, Naruto made his way into the room where the scrolls were held. Before he approached the main scroll, he looked, sniffed, even stuck out his tongue lowering the mask to see if the air tasted like any chakra or warding he knew of. It was apparently safest to approach from the side farthest from the door. He crept along the top of the bookshelves for that, feeling the grit of dust beneath his hands and feet but smirking that whatever ward was on the floor he would bypass all together. For good measure, he grabbed a few smaller scrolls at random and slipped them into the seal -space pouch that was Anrui's old one. She had been setting it out a few days back to remember to fix the strap, Naruto had literally dropped it into his pants in the side and tied it to help keep it in place. It felt like he was trying to hide something in his underwear but at least he knew it wasn't so obvious what he was doing. The large seal though..he wouldn't be able to get out the same way.

It wouldn't fit in his pouch either.

Slowly Naruto glanced at it, then smirked remembering a large window in the hallway along the way. Before claiming the scroll Naruto went to work liberally booby trapping the room and making certain he knew where each was. With no way to grab the scroll without setting off an alarm he shrugged.

He'd been good enough already. There was a limit to an eleven year old's patience after all.

Hoisting the scroll Naruto turned, honestly impressed at the rapid showing of the Hokage. Even if his er, attire, was certainly something to be desired. Several traps going off at once distracted the Hokage, a sexy jutsu and a nosebleed later, and Naruto was crashing though the glass.

Taking off on all fours Naruto raced about, he knew where he was 'supposed' to meet his teacher but had a better idea. It was a predator's instinct to carry it's prey somewhere safe to devour it after all. Smirking wickedly, Naruto hid in the last place most would look for him. The civilian's library.

Finding an abandoned area he unlatched the scroll and began eying it with a wicked smile.

Shadow clones..

He paused then, spying another jutsu just beyond. One that as much as he itched to learn the first forbidden technique, was a better one.

The Sleight of Hand Jutsu.

Licking his lips the boy read it feverishly and slowly his grin became unholy. Oh. Now this... THIS...whomever named it was a genius. How misleading..

()()()()

In the end Naruto returned from his detour and met up in the forest. Iruka tried to come to his defense but the words out of that man had left Naruto feeling sharper canines then normal in his mouth.

For just a second his heart doubted.. Had Anrui-chan...?

()()()()()()

"Hokage.." Yuurei stood there, silent until now as Ibiki had shared his note with the Hokage, the Anbu and all others scrambling to find the blonde carrier of their former destruction. It was likely Ghost would have acted sooner if Crane wasn't there with his hand on her shoulder, knuckles almost white. That she would be heavily bruised later was a forgone conclusion, but it was grounding her. Keeping her senses from going wild.

Sharp eyes cut over. Though the order had been to find Naruto, especially once the note was brought forward the Hokage had made it ferociously clear that the boy was not to be blamed or harmed, and no one was to hurt him during the subduing process if it was necessary. The Hokage didn't need to see behind the blank mask of his operative and sighed.

"Inu." A form was beside him next. Crane frowned and yet, as a proper Anbu said nothing. His face hidden by his mask it was only his slight adjustment in his grip that alerted Anrui to his state as the rest was hidden in the billowing black garments they wore.

()()()()()

I waited.

Perhaps my heart should have been racing, or a dreadful feeling in my stomach. Instead I was feeling that cool calm and pervasive madness of the battlefield. The urge to slip into the between form and seek out my littlest packmate. My little brother in all the ways that counted. I had nothing but faith in Naruto, though some part of me whined and howled in the back of my thoughts that he may very well learn something this evening and perhaps finally his blue eyes would glare at me and he'd snarl in hatred that I had kept so much from him.

I trusted our bond though, it wasn't as if my packmates and I hadn't fought often enough. I was ever so grateful for Crane though, and his solid presence. I needed the pain of his grip on my right shoulder to keep me there. To prevent me from just slipping away to find him, no matter in what way I did so. I was very close to falling into my Yuurei mindset and making my mission to find and bring back Naruto. I wouldn't be safe to be around if I did so, not when it was with something so close to me I would be likely to lash out at any I saw as being a threat to him. It was not something I could help.

It was why my brothers had worked so hard to find me a new partner that could handle me without holding it against me. Crane's constant teaching only made me a better partner and taught him my methods more. I trusted no one else to physically restrain me when I was so emotionally volatile anymore.

When the Hokage called the other cloaked and disguised anbu, not a discernible feature present, they had the hood up as I did after all; I knew I would not be waiting much longer.

"Go. Inu and Yuurei, find and observe him. Inu, follow Yuurei but be wary as any aggression may provoke her. I want both of you to stay behind and see if he will return on his own. Only if Naruto shows no signs of doing so, or is in mortal peril are you to interfere."

"Permission...Hokage-sama..." I rasped out, my voice dripping with the wilderness as I held myself steady. I was about to fall into my hunt, my sanity hung on a thread as all I could do was think of my Naruto needing me. His bright blue eyes from the first time we met burned in my memory.

While my fellow operatives (Except Crane, wonderful Crane keeping me grounded and sane for a moment more with his grip) wouldn't have understood, Hokage nodded.

"If he figures it out, you may confirm. Go."

Crane I am certain wasn't surprised to feel the shock of cold as I phased my shoulder out, twisting from him and launching away, Inu right on my tail. I would apologize to Crane later for numbing his hand.

Inu didn't say anything. He was far faster than I was normally, but I was partially ghosted at the moment, and I was entirely focused. Behind my mask my mouth was parted, tasting the air even as I inhaled in and out slowly. Maximizing my senses. I knew the mask hid my eye color, which was likely now anything but looking sane.

I was certain my pupils would be blown wide and the whites of my eyes showing, much like a frothing panicked animal.

I did not know Inu, I did not care who or what they were, even if he was really male or just a tall woman. All that mattered right then was that my little brother whom I had never wanted to love, but wriggled his way under my ribs and made himself a den, was in danger and in need. I did not doubt I would honestly slaughter someone in my way.

When I found him I stopped short, twisting my form to phase through the trees and then clamping my hands in place, perched like one of my fully Inuzuka cousins on the branch that hid me from sight. I was ready to launch myself forward at any moment. It was all I could do to hold the snarls and growls from being voiced. I was aware of Inu near, but not in range. Both of us entirely hidden from Chakra, though I'd felt his ever so minutely spike in surprise when I had gone right through a tree.

Seems that despite my name and rumors, no one believed them. Crane would be amused at that...

I forced myself to breathe slowly as my eyes locked onto the two below. Naruto was alive and unharmed..anything else would wait now.

()()()()

In the end Naruto had not used any special jutsu to end the 'traitor' as Iruka had dubbed him. He felt it was far more serving as a twisted justice to beat him as a genin. A very talented but human boy! Naruto had used chakra wire and dodging to snare the giant shuriken, and several not at all nice jutsu his uncle Ibiki had taught him. He'd been trained by T&I heads, Naruto could be brutal and ruthless but none of that had shown under the bumbling idiot persona he'd used at the academy.

It was how the traitor found himself lacking fingers on one hand and with a garote around his neck. Snarling, Naruto didn't even recognize his own voice and it rasped out with hatred.

"I don't think you deserve to live...for what you did, for hurting Iruka-sensei..but it's not my choice. I'm a Konoha citizen and those punishments are for the Hokage to decide.."

"You ..damned fox..."

"Yeah and what have I done to beat you that was the fox? Freaking idiot..." Naruto spat at him before he went limp at Naruto's still bare feet. Unconscious. Closing his eyes with a snarl Naruto didn't hold back tears...

A footfall.

A heartbeat audible to his ears because it was so familiar. A scent.

Naruto looked up at the masked figure and narrowed his eyes with a hiss, drawing back like a cornered animal into a crouch, one hand on the ground and the other curled tight around his kunai. The blank expression masked figure dropped to one knee and just waited.

"Did you know!? Did You..Was all of..All of it a Lie!? Answer me!" Naruto screamed at her. He knew who it was of course, though he was livid that at least some was a lie because she was clearly an Anbu. Not the drop out, not the chakra worthless that she'd played him for. What else had been lies?

Anrui held out her hand to him, wrist limp, fingers half curled open. Relaxed. She didn't use words then, but her soft chuffing whine that was the affectionate one she'd use just for him..

Naruto trembled, still glaring. He wanted to go to her but he needed answers first, or he'd never get the nerve to ask again.

"Did you know?!"

Her mask nodded once. Her heartbeat and scent didn't change. She wasn't worried. Iruka was panicked, and he could smell more fear now slowly building. There were others in the area..they smelled worried, angry. Not Anrui. Not the same.

"Was all ...a lie?" Naruto couldn't bring himself to say it bluntly. Not only for his heart breaking but because the years of all three of the adults in his pack making it clear that Anbu were often secret even from each other. If this was something..and wouldn't it indeed be if she wasn't even thought a ninja..he wouldn't hurt her.

It stung to think that even as he wanted to rage and scream and she may have tricked him all along, he didn't want to hurt Anrui.

Maybe just maybe, they could get through this.

A soft sigh was his answer before he was suddenly engulfed in her arms as he swayed from the utter emotional roller coaster that had been his journey in the last twenty four hours on top of the physical and chakra use earlier. "Someone grab the men for questioning and the scroll needs to be returned." with that she turned and tilted her head towards where Inu was. Naruto faking being passed out to see what would be revealed if they thought he wasn't aware.

"Inu. Let us return."

The trip was silent, Naruto was good at pretending to be asleep, but his face was held right against Anrui's throat, under her mask, as she ran. Behind Inu. Her voice barely audible but the vibrations passing into his skin from hers calmed the internal torrent he was dealing with.

"I'll explain it all...but feelings can't be faked with Pack."

Naruto closed his eyes tightly. That's right...slowly he relaxed a bit. He was still wary, it still stung, but at least he knew if nothing else..

His pack loved him. Even if Anrui..which meant his uncles, had known about the nightmare beneath his skin. It was more than he thought he had for a bit there.

()()()()()()()

He thought morning had come at some point but Naruto was so wrung out and tired he wasn't certain. There had been awkward discussions with the Hokage and Iruka-sensei. Several long pauses in weighty silence had passed and for once the blonde felt no need to full fill the role of entertaining the rest. He kept his arms around Anrui's neck content to act like a younger child without shame and absorbed her reactions to people and things. It had taken very little of his true potential to figure out that it was at least not just him that Anrui hid her secrets from. Everyone that came by to report or discuss something 'trivial' with the Hokage had known Yuurei-san but no one addressed her more casually.

Now in part Naruto knew this was because of that eerie mask she wore. Being so plan of feature it did make it a little unnerving to just stare at her. It was one thing with all the newer Anbu that always were helping to look out for him. After all he had learned to find them fast, fast enough it impressed his uncles but there was just always a little second sensation of someone being there. Maybe it was the fox thing.

Yuurei's mask though was not meant to look like anything. It was just plain, eerie.

She didn't speak or move from her spot, though at some point a larger Anbu had shown up to help guard with her. Every so often Naruto would slip in and out of being conscious. The Hokage wasn't letting him out of the office until the mess was handled.

"Naruto?"

"Hey Jiji..I..do I get to keep my headband?" Naruto asked, not meeting his eyes.

"Well.." Sarutobi leaned back to light his pipe. "Did you ever intend to keep the scroll for yourself?"

"No."

"Did you read it?"

"Yeah. Couldn't help that.."

"I see. How far into it did you get? There was no forbidden jutsu shown on capture according to the many reports so far."

"Just glanced over a few, I saw one called shadow clones that looked pretty neat..but mostly something called 'Sleight of Hand Jutsu'?"

"Of course you'd find that." There was a long pause, but it was one that Naruto was okay with. It was the old people are thinking of what they can tell you sort of pause. Which may it be known, greatly surpassed the I'm not going to tell you anything because I don't know silence.

"It is a misnomer, that Jutsu. I was never fond of it because it can be a lot of effort for very little in the way of results. Sleight of hand instead works to misdirect or alter situations depending on how it is applied. Most commonly it is used in battle or missions to have something appear in your hands. It can be a very potent technique but it requires utmost control and practice to be of use."

"But if I got good at it, I could pull a hostage away or whatever we'd been sent to retrieve, right?"

"Hostage yes, the other..it's not a silent or subtle Jutsu but yes. However I need to impress upon you that techniques are forbidden either because they are truly heinous and horrific, or the sheer price of using them would kill if not severely damage most people. Only because you have a significant chakra reserve to draw on in addition to your own would I even consider allowing you to use the jutsu you have learned. With one caveat...one of your uncles must be there at any time you use it. I do not even want you to use it around your Jounin-sensei or teammates until you have Ibiki saying you mastered it enough."

Naruto paused. "Can I say I agree unless there's truly a need for it?"

"Define...Need...Naruto."

"I'm not sure someone is getting out of a situation alive otherwise or we could recover what was stolen."

Sarutobi sighed heavily, realizing that at least Naruto tended to keep his word and wouldn't have the jutsu to use on the bell test. That was something at least. "Extreme situations only. I'm trusting you, Naruto..."

"Like you trusted the villagers to not hate me for the fox?"

The silence was suddenly drowning. It had been in the tired way Naruto had stated it. Even the Hokage it seemed, forgot that much of his brash and loud idiot persona was just that. Naruto had put many things together and while it still hurt like a deep wound that had disinfectant just applied it no longer felt as though it was festering. His lungs still felt tight, his breaths too shallow and he knew he was shaking.

Answers would help.

"...I promise on another day when you are rested to explain as much as I can, Naruto. The village did disappoint me that I agree on. However, you have the ability to make them change minds. I would say much as you have with so many civilian's who accept you as a ninja."

"I'd like to learn the shadow clones."

"Seeing as your problem is too much chakra, Ibiki had actually put in a request to teach you more advance cloning techniques. I shall leave it up to him as to which method he chooses to teach you however. The crippling nature of such powerful methods is we often come to over rely upon them."

"One more thing." Naruto took a deep breath, knowing his next question was the only logical one but he hated to have one more thing that could hurt him tonight. Memories of just how he'd met Anrui, how she'd looked at him oddly so many times. How very strange it was for an adult to -care- floated back from his hazy early days. "Did you assign Anrui to take me in?"

The Hokage set down his pipe and met his eyes calmly. "It seems, young one, I now owe your guardian quite a bit from a wager she placed back then. In her own words you would resent if such was ever discovered. I gave the option to interact as much or as little as she desired..if it helps she was as much like the rest of the village regarding you when the assignment was made. Whatever beyond that is there..you two made on your own. No meddling old man involved."

Naruto locked his eyes to the Hokages for a time, before nodding once and closing his eyes. That made sense. He could remember how despite Anrui's actions her face or bodylanguage had betrayed her back then as well. She'd never been comfortable but there had been a difference in her expression. She'd cared, even when she was scared of him. Now he could place that early expression knowing what he held inside. Despite that, she'd given him a chance.

If that didn't say how much she cared he wasn't sure what did. The same with Ibiki and Inoichi. They all clearly had known and yet let him into their hearts and did their best by them.

"May I tell those I trust, about the unwanted pet?"

"I would advise you to be very careful if you do so. Also, should that occur, you need to tell Ibiki or Inoichi so they can get word to me."

"Not Anrui-chan?"

"She's just a civilian."

Naruto frowned at that, yet he kept his mouth shut. It was clearly something to ask when they got back home. It was a little helpful though, to know that at least Anrui hadn't been a regular ninja. He wasn't sure how she would have pulled that off..

He didnt' stay conscious much longer. It had been too long of a day.

()()()()()

When he awoke Uncle Ibiki was at his bed side. The very first item- even before he was permitted to go to the bathroom- was he had to debrief Ibiki on everything. Then he was allowed to go, and come back right away. At which point Ibiki produced surprise breakfast buns from his favorite location and two thermos's of tea.

"Now I must say overall I am highly impressed with you Naruto. You did all of us proud."

Naruto paused, one delicious bun halfway to his mouth and gaped at his uncle. His uncle who did not say such things.

"I mean it. You left a note, you checked the best way to infiltrate, made certain you had the correct item and even though on a mission you should never peruse it so far as you did, that was a saving factor this time. You then confronted the traitor, deferred to your superior Iruka." Ibiki took a sip of his tea, eyes never blinking as he watched Naruto eat slowly. The blonde didn't want the sound of his inhalation of breakfast to drown out any of the praise he was receiving.

"Not only that, but then when your superior's wounded you defended him without resorting to anything that could cast doubt upon yourself. Any one of those Anbu could have been a plant and you did not try out the technique you studied. You incapacitated and even quoted the law at him..." Ibiki smirked. "Because you warned him by the way, you've also made it where we didn't need to hesitate to start on him. On behalf of all of T&I we are appreciating that."

Naruto looked down and nodded, his stomach feeling leaden. "One of them smelled familiar."

"You're using all your senses." It was a statement that radiated smug approval and Naruto glanced up through his bangs, uncomfortable as he nodded.

He said nothing though. Just quietly ate several of the buns and drank his tea. Ibiki finally nodded after a long heavy silence.

"And you aren't saying anything." Ibiki allowed some of his pride in Naruto to leak through his voice. He didn't say why, but both knew it was in reference to not saying whom he thought the ANBU had been. He was still protecting. He was listening to what they'd warned him of.

"For the record.." Ibiki leaned forwar, his voice dropping to tones you had to be there to hear, hands infront of his face crossed at the fingers to hide his lip movements. Just in case. "She never did graduate. Her chakra will not do what ours does. It will work only in certain ways. Special chunin may be a better classification but for the sake of staying anonymous the mask comes out. A partner is required to make up for the lack but some day when she lets you know, you'll see what her chakra can do. It is a bloodline trait..and a packsecret." Ibiki stressed the word and Naruto's brain whirled categorizing this as something on the level of clan secrets, but he was part of it.

"How long?"

"Inoichi and I trained her."

Naruto fell silent again and frowned, thinking it all through rapidly. "Bushy brows huh?"

Ibiki leaned back with a pleased laugh. "Sometimes how your brain works is astounding..congratulations, all of Konoha is fooled on that one."

Somehow, that knowledge helped settle him.

"Where..?"

Ibiki's eyes met his and he shook his head. "Outside in the yard. Convinced you want nothing to do with her and being an idiot about it..has been since you were brought home last night."

Naruto's jaw dropped and he all but launched to the window, looking out.

Sure enough, a familiar form was curled up unconscious in the back yard..and looked like she'd spent the night out there.

"Why?"

"...as long as I've been close to her Naruto, there are times I still cannot predict her."

Naruto frowned but tilted his head. Maybe the fox gave him instincts..it explained some of the ways he'd understood her..and he huffed out. If she'd walked away from him last night, or if he hadn't recognized her scent..yeah. He'd be the one out there. Afraid that he wouldn't be wanted, that he'd make them all uncomfortable. That they wouldn't ...trust...him...

"Oh."

Naruto grabbed his blanket and leaped out of the window, a few jumps later he plopped down next to Anrui, ignoring her eyes flying open as he drapped the blanket on the ground and then over both of them, curling up against her.

"You're gonna get a cold."

Her arms wrapped around him tightly and Naruto closed his eyes.

They'd get through all this somehow.

"No more secrets."

"...all right.." She sighed heavily, but her chin settled against the top of his head and he flipped the edge of the blanket to hide her face under there with him, making her chuckle.

"Demanding.."

"Uh huh."

"...what do you want to know?"

"Everything."

Anrui hummed and then her voice started, soft and raspy from being out all night. "I was coming back from a mission when I stepped outside the hokage tower and bumped into a little blonde form about knee high with the most startling blue eyes..." Naruto felt his lips curve in the familiar story and rest his head closer, to hear her heartbeat.

This time she told the story without things edited out. How she was scared of what he held, how she couldn't take his being too thing and hungry. How she recognized the ninja families would shun him and decided to show him what she had found, that often the civilian's were far greater then given credit for. She wove the tales of their years together anew; peppered with her observations of his sense of smell and reactions being so much more and how it let her feel while terrified of what he contained, delighted that it was allowing him to be more like her.

She told him stories of her own years after the academy failed her and her frustrations.

She paused then and arms slackened. "You have to go get your team assignments.." Anrui sat up and tilted her head, regarding him. "When you return..I'll tell you more."

"Is there much more?"

Anrui gave him her first smile since the night.. "We've had a lifetime, Naruto. It takes time to tell."

"We're going to have longer." He said, blue eyes meeting gold and both relaxed.

It was shaky, their relationship now. She had to tell him things without being able to say others. He had a massive secret to come to terms with.

They'd find a way.

It was what true family did.

"Can I have Ramen for a week?"

"Don't push it."