I knelt down in front of the black-haired man, my gaze directed towards the ground.

"I've arranged it so that you'll go back to Team Kakashi without any troubles - not just as their former teammate, but also because you are stronger than anyone else in your generation in the village. More than anything, your complex mind is simply amazing..." Danzō praised, "From now on, you'll go back to your name, Haruno Ren."

"Of course, Danzō-sama," I replied with my usual emotionless expression.

"Remember, Ren, you must keep an eye on the kyūbi at all times. We can't allow it to fall into the wrong hands," the old man continued.

"I won't fail my mission," I stated.

The black-eyed man gave a single nod. "Very good. You're dismissed. Uzumaki Naruto is returning with Jiraiya as we speak."

I stood up, bowed, and then teleported to the top of the front gate. I knelt down and watched as Jiraiya and Naruto walked through the village gates.

"It's been about two and a half years," Naruto said, his voice and body more mature since the last time I saw him.

"Indeed," Jiraiya agreed, his appearance nor attitude having changed in the slightest.

The two walked together to the main part of the city with me trailing behind undetected.

Naruto suddenly stopped, dropped his bag, and jumped onto the closest electricity pole.

Jiraiya laughed before musing to himself, "He's certainly cheerful today, isn't he...?"

The blonde stood on top of the pole with a big grin, his arms out to the side. "Alright! I missed this place! It hasn't changed one bit!"

It's changed more than you, apparently, I internally commented. You're still as dumb as before, huh?

"Yeah! Yeah!" The blonde agreed as if he could read my mind. He suddenly paused as he stared at the Hokage Monument. "Eh?! Hehehe! So they've added Tsunade's ugly old mug to the mountain! Hah!"

"You've grown a lot, haven't you... Naruto?" A man asked, his appearance just the same as it was two and a half years ago. When his student turned towards him, he lifted up his gloved right hand. "Yo!"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed happily before jumping to the nearby rooftop. "Haha! You haven't changed at all! Wait! Oh yeah!" The blue-eyed teen paused and reached into his back pouch. "Hey! Hey! I have a present for you, Kakashi-sensei!"

The Hatake released a confused noise before the blonde pulled out a book and held it out to him. The man looked like he had just seen kami-sama himself. "Whaaat?! You... H-how...? Th... This is...!"

The Uzumaki handed the book over while saying, "This is the latest in the Icha Icha series after three years! It's boring, but you'll still like it... I think!"

Of course, he'll like it. He's just the same as he was before you left, I thought with a somewhat deadpanned expression.

Jiraiya gave an annoyed pout at Naruto's statement, making it fairly obvious that he was upset with his student's criticism.

The three got all of their stuff together and began to walk deeper into the village. They were still being tailed by me, of course.

Naruto suddenly picked up some speed and began to jog. "Alright! Next stop, straight to Ichiraku Ramen!"

"As promised, I'll leave Naruto back in your care..." Jiraiya said to the man walking next to him.

Kakashi, who was already five pages into his new porn novel, merely glanced over silently.

"I fear Akatsuki has been growing impatient... They may make an attempt on Naruto soon... I'm going to head around and gather as much information as I can," the white-haired sennin explained.

Naruto suddenly released a loud yell upon seeing my sister and her mentor, Tsunade, causing Jiraiya and Kakashi to drop their conversation. "Sa... Sakura-chan?"

"Eh? Naruto?!" The pinkenette exclaimed before giving a nervous smile, her left index finger on her cheek. "How do I look? Do I look more like a woman now?"

The idiot smiled brightly. "You look fine! You haven't changed at all!"

I deadpanned before pinching the bridge of my nose. Once an idiot, always an idiot.

"You still don't understand a woman's mind," Jiraiya criticized.

I nodded in approval, agreeing 100%.

Sakura suddenly looked up and exclaimed, "You've... You've gotten taller than me?!"

"Yeah..." The kyūbi's host agreed before checking for himself to make sure he didn't just blurt out some dumbass answer.

Konohamaru made his grand appearance. "Naruto-nii-chan!" He made a single handsign before exclaiming, "Oiroke no jutsu!" He then turned into a busty female teenager that would have been completely exposed if it weren't for the tiny-ass clouds surrounding the lady parts.

No one, besides Sakura who recoiled and Jiraiya who laughed, gave any indication that that was outside of the norm.

The brunette undid the transformation and asked with his thumb up, "How was that?! A real drool of a jutsu, wasn't it?!"

Naruto gave a soft smile and chuckle. "Konohamaru, I'm sorry, but I'm not a kid anymore. From now on, you shouldn't use that jutsu either."

I shook my head before finally appearing behind the group that was looking at Naruto. I pulled out a book and shoved my nose in it, not wanting to see the interaction between the mini-sennins. I already knew how it would turn out, and I didn't want to see how monstrous my sister had gotten. I wanted to preserve the innocent little Sakura for as long as possible.

A boom caught everyone's attention, and they watched silently as Sakura started to beat the absolute shit out of Naruto.

I gave a small sigh while putting my book away before stepping forwards. "You really shouldn't do that. It'll destroy the few brain cells he has left."

"What was that?! Who even are you?!" Naruto yelled while pointing at me dramatically.

"Perhaps your brain cells have already died," I mused while looking down at the blonde apathetically, my arms crossing.

The blue-eyed boy jumped up to his feet, clearly ready for a fight. He brought up a fist and shook it at me.

Anger coursed through my veins as my head dropped down a bit. "You dare to raise a hand at your comrade in from of me?" My right index finger which previously rested on my left bicep lifted into the air, causing my chakra to explode out of me.

Everyone stared at me in shock and got ready for a fight.

Well, not Konohamaru. He looked positively ready to piss himself.

"Ren! Lower your finger!" Kakashi suddenly yelled out.

I turned my eyes in his direction and saw he had his sharingan out. I closed my eyes and lowered my finger, allowing me to mask my power once again. "You shouldn't overuse that. Even if your stamina has improved, you shouldn't just waste it on something like this."

"H-hold on... Y-you just said... Ren," Naruto said while pointing at me shakily.

"Well, that's my name, dumbass," I stated as my emotionless mask covered my face yet again.

The blonde stared silently for a moment before exclaiming, "Eeeeh?!"

"You really haven't changed, have you?" I asked with a small shake of my head. Before I could get an answer, a person jumped on me, nearly causing me to lose my balance. "Oi, Sakura, a little warning next time."

She didn't reply and instead hugged me tightly. The pinkenette was almost pushed to the point of tears as she buried her face into my chest.

I internally sighed before returning the hug. "I'm back."

"Welcome home," my younger twin replied as her grip tightened before she suddenly released me. She stepped back and looked up at me with tearful green eyes.

"W-wait, what's happening?!" Naruto exclaimed while pointing at Sakura and I.

"The day after you left, I was given a chance to be under a strong trainer, and I took the opportunity. Today is my first day back as well. I'm sure we had similar training," I explained to the shorter male before casually throwing some shade at him. "Except I also completed missions for the village and boosted my ranking, little genin."

"Oh yeah?! So you're a jônin now, huh?" He asked accusingly, causing me to smirk.

I turned my left shoulder towards him and pulled up the sleeve to my short-sleeved jacket. There on my left shoulder and bicep was a special red marking that only few members of the Root actually got. "No, I'm an ANBU, little genin."

"N-no way..." The kyūbi's host said shakily, his blue eyes practically bulging out of his skull.

"Yeah, and not only that, but I have quite the extensive write-up in the bingo book. You may have heard of the nickname "The Black Fang." Well, that's me," I boasted with my usual emotionlessness.

"The Black Fang?! The best assassin Konoha has had in years?!" Jiraiya exclaimed while pulling out a small, black book.

"Ah, that last part was probably added within the last nine months. My book is getting a bit outdated," I muttered as I pulled out my own bingo book. I then walked over to compare mine with his, only to find that someone had added some more useless fucking information that everyone would have understood from merely hearing of my past deeds.

Kakashi also peaked over to look at my write up. "Wow, impressive. You're an S-rank enemy that has a flee-on-sight order for enemy shinobi. You're that thorough?"

"Yeah. People sometimes call me "Shinigami" because of my outstanding record," I pointed out.

The former ANBU member gave a small whistle. "That's quite the reputation to make in two and a half years." He then pointed to one nickname and asked, "What's "Double Death" mean?"

"Ah, that. I've gotten better at genjutsu. You remember that one Orochimaru uses to make you live out your own death? Well, I figured out how to pull it off. That's where the nickname come from," I answered honestly.

"You figured out Orochimaru's genjutsu?!" Tsunade exclaimed as she walked over.

"Oh, yeah. It's actually really easy to get down. What takes time is learning how to pull it off without the handsigns," I explained before taking a few steps back. I stared at the ground for a moment, carefully getting the necessary amount of chakra prepared. "You ready?"

"Yes," the three adults answered.

I looked up and made eye-contact, sending the three into the genjutsu where they would be shred to nothing via my tantō.

I had gotten a genjutsu specialist to teach me everything they could and then used that to master Orochimaru's genjutsu. Unfortunately, that lead to my genjutsu skills being a bit odd. I could dispel all sorts of genjutsu, but I couldn't cast all sorts. I could only cast wimpy ones or rather extreme ones. I had no mid-ground.

I watched as the three adults overcame their deaths blankly. Once I saw that they weren't dealing with the horrid effects of the illusion, I asked, "Wanna see the handsigns?"

"N-no..." Tsunade muttered as she took several steps away.

"Me neither," Jiraiya said as he followed his former teammate.

Kakashi managed to put his fear behind him and nodded in affirmation. He was shown the handsigns before trying to cast the genjutsu on me.

I was given a simple blink of the eyes as the mediocre winds blew at me, causing me nothing more than minor scratches. "More chakra throughout your entire body. This is a visual genjutsu, yes, but the real thing to work with is the opponent's sense of touch."

The man paused as the genjutsu ended. He looked down at his hands for a moment before nodding. He once again performed the genjutsu, and that one was a kicker.

I tensed up dramatically as the winds tore me to shreds, leaving nothing but bloody blades behind. I took in a deep breath through my nose before calming myself down. I easily forced down the effects of the jutsu and nodded in approval. "Good job."

"That is the most casual anyone has ever been when undergoing that genjutsu..." Jiraiya stated - whether it was a compliment or otherwise was up for a debate.

"In any case," Tsunade interjected seriously, "The nostalgia ends here. Kakashi."

The man pulled down his headband and straightened up a bit. He looked at us, his three students, and said, "Well... It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Nooo! I answered sarcastically.

"From now on, the three of you will come with me on team-related missions. It's different than before. It's no longer sensei and pupil. Starting today, we're equal Konoha shinobis," Kakashi declared before pulling out two very familiar bells. "Well... First, I'm a bit curious as to how you've developed. The rules are the same as when I met you three."

"Great," I said before flickering past him, grabbing the bells on my way. "Alright Sakura, Naruto. Here are your bells."

The former ANBU member shakily turned around to see me holding up the two bells. "That speed..."

"I'm S-Rank danger for a reason," I replied while walking casually past the jônin. I held the bells out to my teammates, only for Kakashi to try to snatch them. I pulled them out of his reach and stared blankly. "Hey, we passed. Kindly fuck off."

"I didn't say "go" yet," the Hatake replied while trying to reach around me, only for me to keep moving the bells like an asshole.

I raised a brow, though my expression remained blank. "What shinobi waits for their enemy to give them to go-ahead? That's just foolish. Just be glad I didn't come at you with the intent to kill like last time."

His narrowed black eye glared at me. "Ren... Give me the bells."

"Why don't you take them?" I asked boldly.

"Ren!" Tsunade yelled, causing me to look over my shoulder with annoyance.

"Can this wait?" I inquired, "I'm getting revenge for the harassment I was put through 2.5 years ago. This is really important to me."

"Give him the bells," the blonde demanded.

I internally cursed the woman out, but nevertheless handed the bells back. "I've already passed, so I'm not doing it again. I'll be at the stone." I then used the hiraishin jutsu to appear before the stone. I gently wiped some of the dust and leaves off of it before kneeling down. I closed my eyes and clapped my hands together twice. May you be resting in peace.

Nearby, the stumps were as strong and sturdy as always. The grass was still green, and the trees hadn't changed in the slightest. The area looked just as it did a couple of years ago.

I smiled softly before standing up. My eyes caught sight of the name that Kakashi always came here for - Uchiha Obito. I brought my gloved hand down to gently brush over the name. I stayed in the same position for a few seconds before letting my hand drop down to my side. I then walked over to the stumps and chuckled at how much I had grown since then. I was no longer such a tiny little shit. Rather, I was a big shit that had yet to fully release all of the sarcasm and other nonsense I had carefully restrained ever since joining Danzō's little bullshit organization.

At the thought of Danzō, a grin stretched across my face. I had worked my ass off and carefully done everything I could to get closer to him. I successfully completed all of my missions, I had "killed" most of my emotions, and I helped him weed out traitors and spies alike. I was essentially the perfect, loyal pawn, but he didn't know that I myself was both a spy and traitor. I had perfectly infiltrated his organization, and I was currently getting together all of the shit required to get him trialed and executed for his many, many crimes against Konohagakure. I was well on my way to completing my last mission given to me by Hokage-sama.

I quickly got my emotions under control as several chakra signatures entered my rather large range. I sat atop the middle stump and began to meditate out of habit. I zoned the world out, ignoring the growing signatures and the like until my stump shook as if there was an earthquake. I shot up and looked over, only to deadpan at the sight of unadulterated destruction via my sister's punch.

"Found you!" Sakura announced as she stood up straight.

You think? I internally questioned as Kakashi was forced to retreat back to ground-level. I shook my head before sitting back down. Man, Tsunade really went all-out when teaching Sakura, didn't she? And, of course, Naruto is just like Jiraiya. I just pray Sasuke doesn't turn out as pedophilic as Orochimaru. My face scrunched up a microscopic amount at the thought of Sakura liking a pedophilic Sasuke. I really shouldn't have had such a creative imagination.

A few hours later, Sakura and Naruto were still battling Kakashi. While they were dicking around, I wandered around, placed several chakra seals, and got some dango while placing more seals throughout the village. I quickly finished up my dango, however, and became bored.

If there was one thing I had grown to hate over the past two and a half years, it was being bored. I could have been doing so many more things in Root, which was really the only upside to that hellhole. I could have been gathering top secret documents, playing Danzō's lapdog, or even just training.

My eyes widened a bit at the last option of entertainment before I smirked. I drew my tantō and closed my eyes. I carefully held the blade in front of me and allowed my other senses to take over. I took a single step forwards before whirling around and slicing through the air. I then began my usual training routine with my tantō. I couldn't do an intense one, or else the special training ground would suffer.

Suddenly, in the middle of my backflip, a kunai came from the tree-line and caught my attention.

I easily deflated it and caught the smaller blade before landing. I could tell from the small trace of chakra lingering on the blade that it belonged to Kakashi. "Ah, are you three done? They managed to snatch away the bells too, I see. I bet you're embarrassed."

"Proud would be a better adjective," the sharingan-wielder debated as he, followed by my two teammates, came from the tree-line.

I gave a small hum before sheathing my tantō three-fourths of the way. "I bet Naruto tricked you into submission with information on your porn book."

Naruto burst out laughing. "He got you there, sensei!"

The silver-haired man glowered a bit at the blonde.

I gave the tiniest of smiles as I finished sheathing my tantō, causing a ring to echo out through the air. I paid no mind to the various trees that fell to the ground and split apart, their reactions delayed by the quickness of my former attacks. "Well, let's go then."

The three stared past me at the damage before looking at each other.

Finally, Naruto stepped forwards for the group and asked, "Are you really the same Haruno-kun? Doesn't that power up seem a bit much?"

I blinked before once again becoming emotionless. "I haven't had a day off since you left. When all you do is missions and training, I suppose you become a monster like myself."

Sakura punched the top of the kyūbi's host's head and gave me a nervous smile. "He didn't mean it like that! It's just really amazing that you can do all of this! He's just jealous!"

I almost opened my mouth to explain that I seriously was a heartless monster that was soaked in the blood of his enemies, but decided it would be best to not get into all of the personal sacrifices I made to gain the power they were in awe of. I simply nodded and allowed an awkward silence to fall on us four.

Still as socially awkward as every, Kakashi cleared his throat before saying, "Wellll... Let's head back into town."

I gave a sarcastic clap that everyone had to experience at least once in their lifetime in order to call themselves human. "Smooth as butter."

"Shut up," he demanded with slightly flushed cheeks.

"I'm hungry!" Naruto declared as he began walking back to the more populated area of Konoha.

He really hasn't changed, I noted as I followed behind at a casual pace.

Sakura quickly came up besides me with a large smile. "Okaa-san and Otou-san will be so happy to see you again! Are you going to move back in?"

"Ah, no," I denied while allowing my gaze to drift away. "I have an apartment that I'll be living in now."

Her face fell. "But... Why?"

"I'm a lone assassin, Sakura. I can't sleep properly around others," I explained simply, but rather bluntly at the same time.

Her head dropped down a bit before she nodded in understanding. "I... I understand. I'll just tell them-"

"I'm worried about bills," I interrupted, causing her to look up at me with confusion. "They've gotten used to me not being around, so it would put a damper on their budget. Also, I'm officially a teenaged boy with a bottomless stomach."

The pinkenette gave a small hum before nodding. "Yeah, that sounds like you."

Is that a compliment or an insult? I internally questioned before dropping the conversation. I instead looked down at my sister before reaching into my back pouch. I pulled out a comb and then decided to play with an unholy fire that could easily lead to my burning death. I messed up my sister's pink hair, causing her and the others to freeze.

"Ren..." She growled as a shadow appeared over her eyes.

"I'm making you cuter," I stated before carefully brushing her bangs to her left. I then flattened her hair down and smiled at the outcome. I then had her close her eyes and gently rubbed at eyelashes to make them stand up more. Once done with that, I pulled out some chapstick and applied it to her lips. I then stood to the side and presented her to our team.

The dumbass released a loud gasp before his cheeks heated up. "S-Sakura-chan, you look super pretty!"

Kakashi remained silent for a moment before giving a small nod of approval. He then went back to the porn novel he pulled out some time in the past three to four minutes.

I pulled a compact mirror out of my back pouch and showed Sakura what I had done. I heard her make a small sound of awe before a small giggle left her lips.

I was suddenly greeted with a devious expression as Sakura said, "Do you have all of this because you want to look good for a secret boyfriend?"

"No," I denied honestly before carefully lying, "There was this woman I worked with that was always concerned about her makeup job. Unfortunately, her makeup wouldn't fit into her bag, so I always carried it in mine. I never gave her stuff back."

"Do you know how much makeup costs?!" My twin exclaimed causing me to give a half-passed shrug.

"No..." I mean, I did, but that wasn't because I always made sure to have a steady supply of makeup. "Besides, I was never asked to give the stuff back in the first place, so why am I getting reprimanded?"

"You need to give it back," the girl scolded as she glared up at me with those jade green eyes.

"Okay," I responded like a good little dog.

She nodded in approval before pausing and looking up. "By the way... When did you get so tall?"

"Tall?" I repeated questioningly before looking over at the blonde. I gave a small hum before walking over. "Hey, Naruto, stand still for a second."

The blue-eyed Uzumaki did so, though he did look slightly confused.

I put my back against his and asked, "Kakashi-sensei, which one of us is taller?"

"Are we including hair?" The silvernette asked while looking between us teenaged boys.

"Just tell us both," I replied.

"With hair, Naruto's taller. Otherwise, you'd be taller, Ren," the jônin explained, causing me to hum.

"Well, as long as I'm not some freakishly tall mutant, I'll be fine," I said as I returned to Sakura's side.

The girl looked up at my height, still obviously jealous because of her shortness.

I, being the good brother that I am, suggested, "I'm sure you're the perfect height for hugging Sasuke now. It'll be super romantic."

A spark lit up her eyes before her entire body was filled with a springtime of youth. Even though she didn't say it verbally, she was ready to fight everyone in the village for the chance to give Sasuke a hug.

I cracked another small smile, though I was expressing a very different emotion on the inside. I still hate him...

Casual small-talk continued on as we got into the heart of Konoha. We talked about stupid, mindless things that would never really impact our daily lives.

Well, Kakashi was still stuck in his porn book, but he was probably eavesdropping. Speaking of which, the sharingan-wielder suddenly asked, "Well... you have become strong, huh? I'm amazed you were actually able to get the bells."

Naruto gave a chuckle. "Maybe I've even surpassed you, Kakashi-sensei!"

"What are you saying? Such conceit..." The jônin muttered with a small glare. He then eased up and gave a small laugh himself. "But anyway, I'm still young, and recently, I developed a brilliant new jutsu."

The blonde boy's stomach growled before he exclaimed, "Ah! Yeah! I haven't gone to Ichiraku Ramen yet!"

Sakura gave a nod. "Yeah, I'm a bit hungry after training from yesterday too..."

Upon seeing that Kakashi was a bit sorrowful because he was brushed off by my teammates, I inquired, "A new technique? Is it like your chidori?"

He shook his head and allowed himself to give me his full attention. "It's even better, in my opinion."

I looked at him with great interest. "Something better? That's a pretty amazing move as it is. Did you really manage to top it?"

"Of course," he replied proudly.

"What is it?" I questioned eagerly.

He opened his mouth a tiny bit and then stopped himself. His black eye showed his hesitance and allowed me to fully understand the situation. Kakashi wasn't boasting his abilities for me, but rather my teammates. The jônin didn't trust me.

I felt a sharp pain in my heart, but refused to show anything that may have lead to him distrusting me even more. "Well?"

The former ANBU member turned his head towards my two teammates who had just mentioned his name and paying for something in the same sentence. He put his hands up as if he was going to shunshin away. "...Sorry. I have to create and submit a list of formations for the new teams." He then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"He ran away!" Naruto pointed out in shock.

"Saying something like that... He's just thinking about continuing to reading that book... probably..." Sakura stated, showing how perceptive she had grown over the past few years.

I internally sighed before allowing my eyes to drift away from my team. I instead spotted Temari and Shikamaru walking together down the road. Had I been an immature little shit, I would have called them out on their "date." But since I was mature and knew what was going on in the world, I asked, "Chûnin exams sure are a pain, aren't they?"

My sister realized who I was talking to and pointed at the dumbass blonde that recently returned to the village. "Shikamaru! Temari-san! Hey! Who do you think this is?!"

Shikamaru immediately recognized his old friend. "Hey! If it isn't Naruto!"

"Shikamaru!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

Temari raised up a brow at the not so stupid looking Uzumaki. She was clearly questioning if he was or was not the actual Uzumaki Naruto.

"Did you just come home then?" The Nara questioned.

The kyūbi host brought up his arms and put them behind his head. "No, I came back yesterday."

The black-eyed boy chuckled. "So has any of your idiocy left you? And have you changed? Well?"

My sister waved her right hand, her left remaining on her hip. "No, he hasn't changed at all."

I nodded in approval. "And he's still a dumbass."

That got Shikamaru to look at me in mild confusion. He took a moment to place my face before exclaiming in surprise, "Ren! I hardly recognized you!"

"Well, I did change a bit," I replied while pulling my ponytail over my left shoulder, a bad habit I picked up when I was slightly nervous.

"A bit?! You had a complete makeover!" The usually lazy Nara explained loudly while motioning to me.

"This guy is the one that became chûnin with you?" Temari asked her future husband while pointing at me.

"Yep! Oh, but he's even higher ranked now!" Sakura boasted while motioning to me.

I remained calm under the Suna female's gaze and instead pulled up my left sleeve to show her the tattoo.

The older teenager gave a small whistle at the sight, giving me a very clear signal that I could put my sleeve back down. "So I take it you've matured."

"I suppose so," I replied before shifting my eyes between the two. "So how are things for the chûnin exams going?"

"You heard?" The teen with a chûnin vest asked in surprise before brushing it off. "Well, things are going well."

"Eh? You mean you two aren't on a date?" Naruto asked while pointing between the Konoha male and Suna female.

"That's not it," Shikamaru denied.

Temari, meanwhile, gave a small smirk with her hands on her hips. "You're joking. Why would I go out with such a..." She trailed off since she did actually have feelings for Shikamaru. She quickly, and expertly, changed the conversation, "There's a chûnin exam soon. I'm just going back and forth between Suna and Konoha for meetings."

"And it's troublesome, but I've become an examiner, so I was told to go and see off the messengers from Suna," the dark-haired boy explained.

The boy with whisker-like markings on his cheeks smiled as his blue eyes drifted away. "A chûnin exam? That brings back memories..."

"Yeah," the boy with silver stud earrings agrees. "And Naruto, what about you?"

"What do you mean?" The Uzumaki questioned.

"What, you ask," Shikamaru muttered with slight exasperation before spelling it out. "It's a chûnin exam. The only one from our class who hasn't become a chûnin is you."

It really took a moment for that to sink in, but when it did, Naruto released a loud, "Eeehhh?!" He quickly looked over his shoulder and pointed at my sister. "Then! Then! You're a chûnin too, Sakura-chan?!"

The pinkenette brought up two fingers in a peace sign. With a closed-eye smile, she replied happily, "Yep!"

Shikamaru suddenly pointed over at his companion. "Plus, Neji from a class above, Kankurō of Suna, and Temari here are already jônin."

"Huuuhhh?!" The dumbass shrieked before suddenly remembering his fellow jinchūriki. "Hey! Then Gaara! What about Gaara?!"

I looked over with a raised brow. "You've been travelling and training for the past two and a half years, and you honestly haven't heard?"

"Heard what? What?!" The blonde questioned eagerly.

"Gaara is the Kazekage," Temari boasted, clearly proud of her brother's accomplishment.

The Uzumaki was positively crushed that he was beaten to the title of kage. Well, that's life for you.

I gave a small hum before rolling my shoulders. "Well, I'm off." I gave a two fingered salute before disappearing so I could report to Danzō. I hated being his lapdog.

"Ah, Ren. Early as usual," Danzō mused as I knelt down before him.

"Hai," I replied as I kept my eyes directed at the ground.

"Your report?" The black-eyed man demanded.

"I've successfully integrated myself back into Team Kakashi. I'm having no problems with the kyūbi host or Haruno Sakura," I answered respectfully.

He seemed to notice the missing name and asked forcefully, "What about Kakashi?"

"He doesn't trust me, most likely because of his past experience..." I paused, looking for the correct word. Finally, I settled on, "...predecessor."

"If someone is suspicious, it's not successful," the old fool snapped at me, his grip on his cane tightening.

I almost frowned, but managed to keep my facial expression blank. "Sir, with all due respect, I'm more than capable of getting him to trust me. Right now, he's just experiencing some doubts. It's nothing I won't be able to take care of."

His grip on his cane tightened even more for a moment, making me think he was getting ready to hit me with it, before the Shimura relented. "Very well, but you must not forget the importance of your mission."

"I won't," I said seriously.

"You're dismissed," Danzō said, his voice clearly tuning me in to his frustration with me.

I stood up, bowed, and the used the hiraishin jutsu to appear in my old, personal training grounds. I grit my teeth and tightly gripped my arms as my anger, and subsequently my chakra, exploded out of me. That bastard! I can't stand him! Sakura is still the most important to me, Naruto is just a human, and Kakashi is going to be suspicious of me no matter what I do! I just turned tail and went moseying off to the organization he and Tenzō-taichou warned me of! Does Danzō not have a fucking brain?! Damn! I want to roast him alive and record it so I can fall asleep to his screams every night! I shook violently, but managed to calm myself down after that temporary snap of my control.

Well, it didn't really matter by then. The animals all left, and anyone with so much as a tiny shred of sensory abiities knew my location.

I gave a deep sigh before teleporting to the apartment where what little I owned had been relocated to. I sighed deeply at the scent of a freshly cleaned abode. I went through the place and checked every millimeter, not letting anything go under the radar. I had most definitely grown paranoid over the past few years, but it came with the missions. After an hour, I felt satisfied enough to hide multiple seals around before going back to my bedroom. Unlike a normal person that slept on their bed, I decided to sleep under the piece of furniture just in case. I had definitely grown paranoid...