A/N: for anyone that has read and ask themselves or on a review ask Why Irashi has them only doing B-rank missions, well you'll find out soon enough either in this chapter or the next.

Disclaimer: I do not Own Naruto.

Naruto finished reading in the library and left and as he walked down the street and as usual a few villager's and ninja converged on him and started to assualt him.

---

Irashi was sitting at a bar and the guy next to him said, "Hey, Irashi?"

Irashi looked over, "hm?"

"Isn't that your student over there getting his ass kicked?" replied the man looking at Naruto outside of the bar.

Irashi smirked, "I guess they don't realize the penalty for assaulting the Kyuubi's Container, Want to teach it to them?"

The man gave a sadistic smile and answered, "Why not, it'll be like old times. The kid needs help whenever he can get it, I suppose." Irashi and the man put their glasses down and put on their ANBU masks and walked out with sickening smiles on their faces.

---

Naruto was starting to have trouble fighting off his attacker's and before he could block another punch someone intervened and stopped it, Naruto looked at the person or rather people as two ANBU was standing next to him, one with a fox mask and another with a bear mask with cloaks covering the rest. The person that attacked Naruto screamed out in pain as the one in the fox mask crushed the man's hand, and he said, "By law, Any action taken against this certain person is rightfully granted death to who disobey that law, so your sentence is...death." The small mob that had tried to kill Naruto were now either fighting if they were ninja or running if they were villager's.

"Which do you want? The cowards or the brave one's?" asked the ANBU in the fox mask, which Naruto realized was Irashi. The other shrugged, and disposed of the man that he still had a hold off, and went after the running villager's, "I guess that answer's my question." he stretched his neck and muttered, ""Sabaku Kangoku!" (Desert Prison) all the ninja that were there, were now caught and bound with sand across their wrists and ankles. "Boy, doesn't this suck for you guy's, Sabaku Kyuu!" (Desert Coffin) the sand enclosed and actually made the area rain with blood.

Irashi yawned and looked at Naruto, "Great...now I'm bored again. Oh well, back to the bar and then I'll report to the Hokage. See ya later Naruto." Irashi walked back into the bar and left Naruto all by himself.

Naruto stood there and thought, 'that was...awkward to say the least, creepy, too.' He shrugged and decided to think about it later and he walked into a dense forest area on the other side of the village.

---

Once there Naruto stretched and decided to practice a few jutsu's he discovered in the library, and started with the easiest one, "Suiton: Suikabe." (Water Release: Water Wall) he concentrated and soon enough a wall of water appeared in front of him, and a bit proud of himself he stopped the jutsu, unknown to him he was being watched by someone with a little interest in him.

"Alright, one down and three more jutsu's to go. Kirigakure no Jutsu" (Hidden Mist technique) Naruto waited for awhile and though very slowly mist started to come into the area, "Not as fast as I would like it but it'll do until I can improve it more. Oh well." he finished the jutsu and thought, 'Man, I'm tired...' he sat down and decided for a short break and relaxed on a tree.

As he sat down he blanked out in blackness.

Naruto opened his eyes and saw... a sewer. 'How the hell did I end up in a sewer? nevermind that; I think I'll just leave now. With my luck a hungry rat will try and eat me.' He agreed with himself and started walking around.

He saw what he thought to be daylight and walked towards it and came upon a cage and loudly cursed, "DAMN! There is no way out of here!"

A loud crash came from the cage and when Naruto peered into it a red circle was glaring at him and it said, "By Leaf and Star, shut your loud mouth before you kill me with it." It came out more and Naruto saw it was a huge head of a fox and it continued, "Good your quiet, you are probably wondering why you are here so I'll put it plainly as I can for you stupid mortals. Someone tried to enter your mind and I booted them out and as a result you came into your own mindscape, heh also before you end up having a heart attack, I am the Great, Almighty, Strong, and Long-lived Kyu-"

"Alright I get it, no need to flaunt your ego that much." interrupted Naruto being impatient, "Just tell me how to leave."

"WHY YOU INSOLENT LITTLE BASTARD I'LL...I'LL...actually I can't do anything...damn it all. Just think yourself out and your mind intruder is up in a tree stuck in a genjutsu I put her in. Just don't come back." Finished Kyuubi calmly though still thinking on the lines of killing Naruto and selling him in pieces to the demon realm.

"Ok, then see ya." replied Naruto shrugging as he faded from Kyuubi's sight.

---

Naruto woke up outside of his mind and noticed it was already night time and searched for his intruder and found her and rolled his eyes, "Of all the people you have to follow me, I thought you'd be at the hospital visiting Sasuke-teme along with the rest of the fan-girls. Oh well Kyuubi can't have all the fun I guess, But I don't feel like torturing anyone so I'll just take you home." he picked her up and went off to her home with her still in the genjutsu.

Ten minutes later Naruto arrived at the girl's home and shuddered as he looked up at the sign, "Yamanaka flower's..." Naruto shrugged and removed the genjutsu from her.

Naruto poked her in the head and Ino said, "Stop poking me, and Why am I here?"

Naruto raised his hands up in defense before she could pummel him, and said, "You spied on me, and an...ally of mine...I suppose, Placed you in a genjutsu as you tried to enter my mind, I won't ask why you following me, right now, but I would like an explaination later." with that Naruto left and Ino stood there a bit dumbfounded.

---

Naruto got home and relaxed and after awhile decided to go eat something, and then he might as well be off to bed. He shrugged and thought, 'My daily planning sucks, I need a schedule...nah.' he chuckled and went to go eat.

---

Ino went inside and while walking up to her room thought, 'How did he kick me out? but I can't think of anyone beyond our clan who can do that. He even placed me in a Genjutsu when I intruded, too. maybe I'll discuss with father.' she sighed and sat down in a chair.

---

Two months later Sakura and Sasuke were already out of the hospital and back with Naruto and Irashi doing B-rank missions, and rarely they did A rank missions.

Naruto sat down on a log and stated, "Hey, Sensei?" Irashi looked over at him and motioned for him to continue, "How come we do B rank missions and other Genin teams do D or C rank missions?"

Irashi chuckled, "I guess it's about time I told you three the truth but first I'm going to give all three of you updates on you current abilities from when you started 2 months ago." Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke nodded, "Good, Naruto, you've grown quite well I might add, Your jutsu knowledge has grown to unbelievable expectations, and you are doing very well in your kenjutsu. I'm proud of you. Also you almost as smart as Sakura, then again you've always been as nearly as smart as her."

Naruto beamed with pride and smiled though due to his change of outfit you couldn't see it behind his mask. He wore a black shirt and pants along with a red vest that had alot of pockets to hold ninja tools, his pants hung over his boots. His Hitai-ite went around his chest like a sash. had also had fingerless gloves that reached up past his forearms stopping at his elbow and a facemask. (Like Kakashi.)

"Now Sakura," Irashi smiled and continued, "Since you have grown over your infatuation over Sasuke, you've grown the most out of the three of you, Your jutsu's have grown past Naruto and past Sasuke, as well as your chakra control, it's clearly past mine and anyone here. And you hit harder than anyone I know except one." Sakura sat there smiling proud of herself.

She wore a red shirt and a long light red skirt and combat boots like Naruto, She wore her Hitai-ite in her hair as usual, and fingerless gloves that only went up to her wrist.

"And finally Sasuke, you're basically at Naruto's level, except where Chakra control is at, you're past him, either way you're powerful that includes you being able to use your Sharingan." Sasuke nodded, he wore his usual outfit.

Irashi sighed and finally said, "Well The real reason I have you guy's doing B-rank missions is because I'm not a normal Jounin teacher, I'm an ANBU Instructor, And you three get to compete in the ANBU qualifications this year, while the others have the chuunin Exam, and the ANBU qualifications are alot quicker. Especailly since I'm your instructor it'll be fast for you guys to join the ranks of ANBU. which technically you have already passed the exam to join. Well go home and relax for a few days I need to help prepare the Qualifications for next week." Irashi then disappeared into smoke.

Naruto was smiling like an idiot and said, "Well you two, may have to learn to use a sword." Sasuke scoffed and walked off.

Sakura on the other hand looked at Naruto and said, "If I have to you are the one who's teaching me, Naruto-kun." she walked off and went home leaving Naruto sitting on the log.

Naruto sighed and stated to no one, "This is SO COOL!" and started laughing and fell over onto the ground. "Ow." He got up and started to walk around the forest for awhile since he had nothing better to do.

After a few hours he got bored and went back into the village and decided to go eat, and he walked to a resturant that was new but not exactly popular, once inside the man at the front said, "I see you, Naruto."

Naruto nodded and greeted, "I see you, Shoman. Do you have a table open."

Shoman chuckled and replied, "For you, of course." They started walking deeper into the resturant, "You of all people should know we always have a table for someone." They got to a table in the back blocked by a clay wall to keep stray eyes from peering at him. "I'll send someone over to take your order."

"Thanks." replied Naruto gratefully, once Shoman was out of earshot Naruto said, "I feel kind of bad for him...barely anyone to seat and yet he's always so busy. Luckily I'm not him and I don't own the place."

After ten minutes a waitor came upa nd asked, "What would you like to drink?"

Naruto who already knew the menu by heart answered, "Gyokuro." (Superior Green Tea)

The waitor nodded and continued, "Would you like to order your food now or later?"

"Later." replied Naruto calmly. The man nodded and walked off. 'I hate the waitor's here, I almost regret saving this place, but I'd miss the food more.' his stomach gurgled and he glared at it.

A few mintutes went by and his tea arrived, Naruto however was bored he was already falling asleep from his boredom. But something flicked him and he looked at the offending person or thing and growled, "You...What do you want?"

The person sat across from him and answered, "Nothing, I just came to visit.."

"Torture is more like it Ino. I'm not going to tell how I blocked you out two months ago, so give it up and go away." stated Naruto a bit meanly. Though he didn't mind Ino being there; it kept him from getting bored, "Hell, bug Sasuke for all I care just leave me alone."

Ino giggled and replied, "No, I want to know how you did it, and that isn't the reason I was coming to see you today anyways." Naruto looked at her with caution and finally nodded allowing himself to at least listen to her. "My...father kicked me out, because I kept pestering him about you, I think he's had enough of it."

Naruto doubled over in laughter and when he finally calmed down he said, "Heh heh, so you're going to ask me if you can stay with me." she nodded, "No." stated Naruto with a serious expression on his face.

"Please, I promise not to bug about the incident to months ago." begged Ino

Naruto closed his eyes and thought it over and after ten minutes he finally gave in and admitted, "Alright you can stay...don't even think about hu-" he griamced he didn't say it quick enough and Ino literally hugged the air out of him. "hugging me."Finished Naruto as he tried to squirm free.

They both sat down and Ino sat with her head down, "Sorry."

Naruto shrugged it off and the waitor arrived soon after and said, "Oh is she ordering as well?" Naruto nodded, "Well then what would the both of you like?"

Seeing as Ino was scanning the menu Naruto said, "Suzuki shioyaki." (Salt-grilled sea bass) The waitor nodded and waited for Ino to order.

After a minute Ino said, "I'll just have sushi, and lemon tea." (My Japanese food knowledge is poor.) The waitor wrote it down and left the two alone once again.

Naruto chuckled at nothing and caused Ino to looked at him and question, "What's so funny."

Naruto looked at her and answered, "Oh, nothing. You'll see anyways when you arrive at my small apartment." Ino gave up since she didn't want to fight in the middle of a resturant.

(I don't wantto go through the rest of the resturant scene so I'll just do a quick way to get through it and move on; If anyone wants me to re-edit this and make the scene longer I may just do it.)

Naruto and Ino got up after they finished eating and Naruto paid the bill and left a rather small tip for the waitor which amused him to a certain extent, Once the two arrived at Naruto's immessly small apartment and walked in Ino looked on the wals and said, "You have different pictures and sketches of the Kyuubi on you walls...how come?"

"I'll just say that Kyuubi and I have a certain bond to each other." stated Naruto giving her an obvious hint of what he meant.

Ino though not getting the clue asked, "What do you mean by you two have a certain bond?"

'Sakura and Sasuke were easier to tell, they actually got the clue' thought Naruto sighing, he put up a bored expression on his face and stated, "THis will be easier to explain if you went inside my head."

Ino glared at him and retorted, "You'd just kick me out again." Naruto shrugged and walked off.

While opening the door to his room he said, "Oh well, I gave you your chance to look in my brain, but you lo-" Naruto stopped as Ino interrupted him.

"All right, all right I'll take you on your word lemme in." interrupted Ino inches away from takling him to the ground. Naruto chuckled and closed his door and came back out into the living room and sat down.

Ino did a handsign and said, "Shintenshin no Jutsu," (Art of the Valentine) and entered Naruto Mindscape without interference.

Naruto's Mind

Ino arrived in what seemed to be the same apartment but Naruto wasn't there. A sound came from behind her and it said, "Come on, I don't want to stay here long." Ino looked behind her and saw someone but she didn't think it was Naruto. His hair had brown streaks in it and no whisker marks and his eyes were just creepy, they had no pupils, and she could tell it wasn't Naruto because he was taller than Naruto. Not trusting her voice she just nodded and followed him.

The two arrived at a very large cage with as she recognized was Naruto sitting in front of it talking to someone or something. Naruto looked behind him and saw the two and said, "I see you've met the Warder, Ino." she looked behind her and the man nodded and she resumed looking at Naruto, "He's just a little creation I made up in my own head, anyways the reason you're here is in that monstorsity of a cage." Naruto helped her up and walked her over to the cage.

An eye poked out and said, "It's your intruder...what do you want?" Naruto shrugged, "Don't tell me you just came in here to bug me..."

Naruto again shrugged and said, "No, I'm not that stupid, She wanted to know want kind of bond we have and so she came in." The eye disappeared and revealed a face of a red fox.

"I am the Great, Almighty, Glorious, Stro-"

"Yes, yes we get it. Again no need to flaunt your ego." Stated Naruto rolling his eyes.

Kyuubi's eye twitched and a thought registered, 'Why I outta rip your entrails across the floor, and make sure you live through all the pain.' but instead he said, "Yes, well I am the Great Kyuubi no Kitsune..." Ino looked back and forth between a glowering Demon and a glaring Naruto.

After a few minutes of listening to insults going back and forth from Naruto and Kyuubi, The Warder made himself absent from the scene shaking his head in disgust. While Ino sat on the ground contemplating everything.

Naruto sighed in defeat as he got beat in an Insult contest and looked over at Ino and said, "Well as you can very well see. Insult for brains is sealed in me. Eh either way we should go before Kyuubi blows a braincell." Naruto forced himself and Ino out of his mind and into their own bodies.

Outside Naruto's Mind

Naruto yawned and said, "Well I'm going to bed, do whatever you want." He opened the door to his room and went to bed. Ino after a few minutes did the same.

Next Day

Naruto woke up with a headache as he fell out of bed and smacked his head against the floor and his sensei was standing in front of him and Irashi said, "Normally I would laugh at you from falling from your bed but I have more serious matters to tell you." Naruto shook his head getting his wits in stable position and motioned for Irashi to continue, "Yes well, technically this is your ANBU test, one I don't feel you should take, but it deals with someone of high rank being murdered and we don't know who did it, but we have someone in custody that was in the same room, so wanna take this test or another?"

Naruto thought it over for a few minutes, and after ten minutes he said, "Let me get dressed in something more appropriate and I'll be right with you," Irashi nodded and Naruto went to into the bathroom and changed from his pajamas and into his regular clothes.

Irashi looked at him funny and said, "Your nose is bleeding." Naruto just shrugged. "Ok then, you bleed if you want but let's go," Naruto nodded and they both left.

somewhere I can't really name

(Naruto will be completely different in this scene, sorry if no one likes it)

Irashi along the way to the murder area gave Naruto a quick briefing before arriving and after he assumed Naruto didn't know the person but he was quite shocked when Naruto said he knew the man. After that it left Irashi thinking.

Naruto and Irashi stopped in front of a large house and the ANBU guarding the front allowed them in and once inside Irashi said, "We haven't moved the body so inspect as you will, You will get no help from me but you can use any resource you wish to conclude this test." With that he disappeared.

"Great, well I think I'll take a look at the body first." said Naruto walking down the hall towards the room where he supposed the crime was commited.

When Naruto arrived and inspected the body; the man was still young, for all he had come to his full growth and strength probably some years ago. Tall, muscular, his jaw was masked with a short brown beard. The darker brown hair of his headwas tangled now, and matted with blood. His booming energy was stilled; drained of it, his face lost its former fascination, and left Naruto wondering how he had once been fooled into thinking thinking it handsome. He moved forward, hands cradling the skull, probing the wound. Wounds. The shattered bone beneath the scalp gave beneath his thumbs' pressure on either side of a pair of deep lacerations, blackened with gore. Naruto noticed someone behind him and asked, "What weapon did this?"

"His own warhammer It was on the stand with his armor, in his bedchamber."

"How very...unexpected. To him as well" Grimly, Naruto considered possiblities. The man wore a short open robed of worked wool, lined with fur, blood-splashed. He must have been wearing iy when he died. Nothing more. No other recent wounds marked his pale skin.

Naruto examined the room now and noticed an animal he inspected it, It was a dead leopard. Leopardess, he amended, turning the beast partly over. The fur was fine and soft, fascinating beneath his hands. He traced the cold curving ears, the stiff white whiskers, the pattern of dark whorls upon golden silk. He picked up one heavy paw, feeling the leathery pads, the thick ivory claws. The claws had been clipped. A red silk cord was bound tightly around the neck, biting deeply intothe fur. Its end was cut off. Naruto's hairs prickled, a reaction he quelled.

"This is no creature of our woods. Where in the world did he obtain it from?"

The man's cleared his throat, "He obtained it from some merchants from the mainland. He proposed to start a menagerie here. Or possibly train it for hunting. He said."

"How long ago was this?"

"A few weeks. Just before his sister stopped here."

Naruto fingered the red cord letting his brows rise. He nodded at the dead animal. "And how did this happen?"

"We found it hanging from a beam in his bedchamber. When we, um, went in."

Naruto sat back on his heels.He was beginning to see was no temple around here had yet been called up to take charge of the funeral rites. The daubing, the red cord, the oak beem, hinted of an animal not merely slain but sacrificed, of someone dabbling in old heresies, the forbidden forest arts. "Who hung it?"

With the relief of a man telling a truth that could not hurt him the man said, "I did not see, I could not say. It was alive, leashed up in the corner and lying perfectly placidly, when we brought the girl in. We none of us heard or saw any more after that. Until the screams."

"Whose screams?"

"Well...The girl's."

"What was she cring? Or were they..." Naruto cut short the, just cries. He'd a shrew suspicion the man would be a little too glad of the suggestion. "What were her words?"

"She cried for help."

Naruto stood up from the exotic spotted carcass, his ninja outfit creaking in the quiet, and let the weight of his stare fall on the man. "And you responded---how?"

The man turned his head away. "We had our ordors to guard his repose."

"Who heard the cries? Yourself, and...?"

"Two of his guards, who had been told to wait his pleasure."

"Three strong men, sworn to his protection. Who stood---where?"

The mans face might have been carved from from rock. "In the corridor, Near his room."

"Who stood in the corridor not ten feet from his murder, and did nothing."

"We dared not. For he did not call. And anyway, the screams...stopped. We assumed um, that the girl had yielded herself. She went in willingly enough.

Willingly? Or despairingly? "She was no servent wench. She was a retainer of his own sister, a dowered maiden of her household."

"Lady Fara herself yielded her up to her brother, when he begged the girl of her."

Pressured, was how Naruto had heard from his sensei. "Which made her a retaier of this house. Did it not?"

The man flinched.

"Even a menial deserves better protection of his masters."

"Any lord in his cups might strike a servant, and misjudge the force of the blow," said the man sturdily. The cadences sounded rehearsed, to Naruto's ear. How often had the man repeated that excuse to himself in the depths of the night.

"Any lord would not then go on to skin and butcher his kill. There was more than drink behind that wild act. It was madness." Naruto paused in thought, and said afterwards, "Take me to his bedchamber."

The late lord's room lay high in the central house. The corridor outside was short and dim. Naruto pictured retainers huddled at the far end in the wavering candlelight waiting for her scream to stop, then had to unset his teth. The rooma's solid door featured a wooden bar on the inside as well as an iron lock.

The appointments were few and countirfied: a bed with hangings, barely long enough for the lord's height, chests, the stand with his second best armor in one corner, Naruto assumed. A scarlet of rugs on the wide floorboards. One was soaked with a dark stain. The sparse furnishings left just room enough dor a quarry to dadge and run, a gasping chase. To turn at bay and swing...

The matching wasr hammer lay tossed upon the rumpled bed.Its claw-rimmed iron head-- very like an animal's paw--was smeared with dried gor like the blotch on the rug. Naruto measured it against his palm, noted the congruity with the wounds he had just seen. The hammer had been swung two handed, with all the strength that terror might lend. But only a woman's strength, after all. The lord half-stunned--half-mad?--had apparently kept coming. The second blow had been harder.

Naruto looked at the man and he said, "When do you wish to depart? or will you stay the night?"

"Take me to the prisoner. before I decide. Take me to her."

It was a brief step, down one floor to a windowless, but dry storeroom. Not dungeon, and certainly not guestroom, the choice of prisons bespofe a uncertainty over the status of its occupant. The man rapped on the door, called, "My Lady? You have a visitor," unlocked it and swung it wide. Naruto stepped forward.

From the darkness, a pair of glowing eyes flashed up at him like some great cat's from a covert, in a forest that whispered. Naruto recoiled, hand flying to his sword. his blade had rasped halway when his elbow struck the jamb, pain tingling hotly from shoulder to fingertips; he backed further to gain turning room, to lunge and stirke.

The man gripped his forarm stopping him.

Naruto placed his sword back into its sheath, and said into the room, "I cannot see you in that den." and what I saw, I disavow. "Step into the light."

The lift of a chin, the toss of a dark mane; she padded forward. She wore a fine linen dress dyed pale yellow, embriodered with flowers along the curving neckline; if not a court dress then certainly clothing of a maiden of rank A dark brown hair spatter crossed it in a diagonal. In the light, her tumbling black hair grew reddish. Brilliant hazel eyes looked not up, but down, at Naruto. Naruto mentally sighed. She was bigger then him it seemed.

Hazel eyes, almost amber in this light, circled in black at the iris rim. Not glowing green. Not...

With a wary glance at him, the man began speaking, preforming the introduction as formally as if he were playing the late lord's housemaster at some festal feast. "My lady, This is Uzumaki Naruto, ANBU-in-training, Who is working under Irashi Kinoshu. He has come to take you in charge."

Naruto blicked. Irashi had told him about her during the way here, 'Lady Ijada, some minor hairess in some stupid tangle, Kami help us.'

She was not distraught, not weeping, or at least , not recently. Not apparently, deranged. Four days in that closet to sort through her thoughts had left her composed, but for a certain tightness in her voice, a faint vibrato of fear or anger. Naruto looked around the bare hall, galnced at the man. "Bring us to where we may sit and speak. Some place apart. In the light."

---

A room

"Your student seems to be doing well Irashi, sadly we have already figured it out. But if he comes up with the right answer. He'll pass." Said Zirro standing next to Irashi watching a small screen made from a jutsu.

"He'll pass, I know he will." replied Irashi, 'Because I gave him more than the usual hints. I bet he already knows who did it. He probably knows we're watching him,too.

A/N: So, end of chapter two...longer than I wanted it to be, but oh well. Hope you guys and girls liked it, if you didn't well, I'll try harder next time. Also since I haven't gotten to deciding yet. I'll have you guys vote on it, Is the girl innocent or guilty and the same goes for the man that showed Naruto around. Please Review, or flame, or criticize me ir you want to.

And no one voted on whether or not to have Konoha betray him or not, again I ask you to please vote on it.