A/N - Okay, here it is! Freaking finally! I've been trying to work on this chapter for what feels like forever now, and I finally finished it mere moments ago! I really hope you all enjoy the chapter, though parts of it WILL piss you off, especially the end of the chapter. I warn you now, you're going to LOATHE Sasuke.

Anyways, I'm trying to cut out certain Japanese terms and whatnot so I can make my stories a bit easier to read. As you can no doubt see, I'm not referring to places as 'yada yada no kuni' anymore, and I'm changing some other stuff as well.

Okay, without further adieu, please read and enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 2 - A Mission to the Land of Waves

"Y'know, now that I think on it, how are we supposed to find these three items she's hidden within just two hours? This forest is huge!" Caulifla asked as they came to a stop in a small clearing.

Kale looked between her two fellow Saiyans and decided to offer up a suggestion. "U-Um...you and me can fly around, looking for the items. B-But...that leaves N-Naruto alone…"

Naruto shook his head and held up a hand to stop them from doing anything. "While that might help, it would only hinder us in the long run, and likely cause us to fail the test anyway. The village prides itself on teamwork amongst allies. This test is likely meant to test us as a team, rather than as an individual. Besides that, I have a better idea. Shadow Clone Technique!"

In an instant, hundreds of Naruto clones appeared in the clearing and, without a word, they each departed in a different direction, some working in pairs or groups of three, while others set out on their own. Looking back at his new friends, he couldn't help but smirk as he saw their shocked expressions.

Caulifla, unable to grasp what had just happened, grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes. "What the hell was that just now?! How the hell'd you create so many clones?!"

The violet-eyed youth chuckled a bit and reached up, tapping his forehead once. "I have a ton of chakra. What I just used is a technique known as the Shadow Clone Technique. It's a chakra intensive technique, and most people can only make one or two clones at most. Anymore and they might end up killing themselves. As for why I made so many this time, it's simple. When a Shadow Clone dispels, the user gets their memories. Sooo, once they find the items we're looking for, all they have to do is dispel and we'll be good. Of course, if too many dispel at once, it'll be like I've suffered whiplash or something similar. I could even end up in a temporary coma, unfortunately. The brain can only handle so much information at once, after all."

Kale looked incredibly worried after hearing this. "B-But...that's dangerous! You...you could be really hurt, N-Naruto-kun. Doesn't that worry you?!"

Naruto offered her a warm smile and walked over to her, gently pulling her into a hug, much to her embarrassment. "It's alright Kale-chan. I'll be alright. They know to dispel slowly, in small groups of five at once. Besides that, we've only got two hours to finish this test, so I went with the quickest method I could think of."

The timid Saiyan blushed furiously, but made no effort to remove herself from Naruto's embrace. Instead, she rested her head against his chest and tentatively hugged him back, relishing in the feeling of warmth she got from the hug.

"Alright, enough of that." Caulifla said, breaking them apart. "As sweet a moment as that was, we've got a job to do. Any luck with the clones yet, Naruto?"

Naruto started to shake his head, but stopped himself as some of the clones' memories began to hit him. Frowning, he looked into Caulifla's eyes and said, "Some have run into...problems, let's say. They're being dispelled by the various creatures of the forest, though with their size it's easy to just call them monsters. One group did just find one of the items, but it's sitting under a giant wasp's nest. We'll have to be extremely careful if we want to get that item and get out of there without alerting those wasps to our presence. With their size, it could very likely result in our deaths if we aren't careful."

The boisterous Saiyan scoffed at this. "I'm not scared of some stupid wasps. Bring 'em on!"

Kale frowned and shook her head. "N-No, Caulifla. I...I think N-Naruto-kun is right. It's b-best not to agitate them if we can h-help it."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "That, and I have a feeling this is a test to see how good our stealth is. After all, one of a shinobi's greatest skills is their stealth. How well can they hide and observe the situation? How good are they at sneaking up on their foes and taking them out in an efficient manner? Stealth is vital for any shinobi to know. No, Caulifla-chan, our goal should be to retrieve the item without alerting the wasps to our presence. Though, there is a chance that Anko-sensei will disturb their nest after we've retrieved the item, meaning we may very well have to fight or flee."

The feisty female Saiyan frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "Hmph. You shinobi don't do anything half-assed, do ya? I don't like the idea of fleeing from a bunch of noisy insects, but I'll defer to your judgment in this case. If we're supposed to be stealthy, then so be it. So c'mon already and show us to this precious item we're supposed to collect."

Naruto nodded and motioned for the female members of the team to follow after him as he hopped onto a branch and began tree hopping in a seemingly random direction. Caulifla didn't hesitate to follow, though she paused a moment to look back at her sister Saiyan, who looked to be fairly nervous. Frowning at this, Caulifla called out, "C'mon Kale! If you don't hurry it up, you're going to be left behind!"

Kale looked up at her sister and frowned for a moment before giving a nod. Hopping into the tree, she followed after Caulifla and Naruto, though her frown soon returned as she lost herself in her thoughts. I still don't like this. Naruto's risking his own health by using that technique. Sure, it may be helpful, but it's also incredibly dangerous.

Caulifla, noticing Kale's disheartened demeanor, slowed her pace and began hopping beside her fellow Saiyan. "Kale, talk to me. What's on your mind?"

The timid teen looked straight ahead at Naruto and said quietly, "Naruto's a really nice person, isn't he Sister?"

The boisterous Saiyan quirked one of her brows as she looked from Kale to Naruto and then back again. "You trying to tell me that you're crushing on him already or what?"

Kale blushed and shook her head. "N-No! I'm...I'm just worried about him. I know we haven't known him for very long, but what we do know worries me. He's been through a lot, and now he's using some kind of ninja technique that could really hurt him and I don't like it. This just doesn't feel right."

The slightly shorter Saiyan quirked her brow as she looked at Kale, a smirk slowly forming on her face. "Sure sounds like you're crushing on him to me. Aww, my wittle Kale's growing up." she teased.

Kale's blush deepened and she punched Caulifla in the arm from the embarrassment. "Stop it Caulifla! L-Let's just go. We'll pretend I d-didn't say anything. Okay?" she insisted before hurrying off after Naruto, leaving Caulifla to laugh as she tried to catch up. Stupid Caulifla. She doesn't need to tease me.

Moments later, when they all stopped on the same branch, Naruto held a finger up to his mouth and motioned for them to be quiet. Afterwards, he pointed up higher into one of the nearby trees. Sure enough, they could hear the buzzing coming from the gigantic wasps' nest. The buzzing was so loud, in fact, that it was beginning to hurt just listening to it.

After a moment, Naruto pointed downwards towards the clearing they were above. "That's Hokage-sama's pipe. I may not like the bastard for lying to my face all these years, but that thing's important to him. More importantly for us though is that we need to collect that and whatever the other two items are for our test. Stay here, I'll go get it real quick."

Before either girl could say anything, the fourteen year-old shinobi began descending to the ground below. Kale scowled at this, a rare thing for her to do, and looked into Caulifla's eyes. "See why I worry about him now?"

Caulifla nodded slowly and folded her arms across her chest. "He is a bit reckless, isn't he? Then again, I'm not really one to talk. I've done worse, if you'll recall."

Kale giggled a bit at that and nodded in agreement with that statement. "You really have, Caulifla. Still, we should...oh dear."

"Huh?" Caulifla looked in the direction Kale was facing and her eyebrow began to twitch. "Oh...that bitch."

What was the problem, you might ask? Anko had appeared in a tree a short distance from the wasps' nest and was flipping through a series of hand seals in preparation for some kind of technique. The Saiyans both were and were not shocked when fire erupted from her mouth and struck the bottom of the nest. In an instant, huge wasps practically erupted from the nest, but Anko was already gone. Instead, they descended upon Naruto.

Looking into her partner's eyes, Caulifla said, "C'mon, we need to help him. We can think about paying that psycho-bitch back for this later!"

Kale quickly followed Caulifla into action, the two of them firing numerous ki blasts at the wasps, shooting them out of the sky as quickly as they could. However, the wasps were many, and when they saw their comrades falling from the sky, they divided their attention between Naruto and the two sister Saiyans.

Down below, Naruto sealed the pipe away in a scroll and pocketed it before turning his attention to the wasps descending upon him. "Knew she'd pull something like this. Not much of a choice but to go with what I know. Shadow Clone Technique!"

In an instant, hundreds of Naruto clones appeared and began to retaliate against the wasps. Meanwhile, the real Naruto appeared behind Caulifla and Kale and said, "C'mon! My clones will distract them so we can get away. There's just too damn many of them to risk staying here and fighting them."

"Are you kidding me?! Why the hell should we run from these things? If you're scared, you can run away, but I'm going to kick their asses!" Caulifla shouted angrily. She was about to attack the wasps again when Kale grabbed her arm. Looking into her best friend's eyes, Caulifla frowned and asked, "What is it, Kale?"

Kale shook her head and said, "Please Caulifla, we should leave while we have the opportunity. I know you want to stay and f-fight, but there are times when running away is a better idea. N-Naruto's right. Please!"

Caulifla scowled, but reluctantly nodded her head. "Fine. Let's go before they target us again. Your clones better be able to hold these shits off, Naruto."

Naruto grinned at the feisty Saiyan and said, "Hey, no problem! I put a little something extra into these clones, so as soon as we're a safe distance away from this problem, they'll take care of things. Now, let's go! One of my clones found the second item, so we'll head there now."

Kale and Caulifla both nodded and began to follow their fellow Saiyan in another seemingly random direction. When they finally reached the location of the next item, they saw that the entire area was booby-trapped to hell. "Well, this fucking sucks." Caulifla said, sounding pretty annoyed.

The timid Saiyan noticed what the item was and frowned in confusion. "Why is this item a book? Is there something special about this book?"

Naruto sighed and ran his fingers through his spiky black hair. "That's one of the Hokage's most precious belongings. It's basically a smut book written by one of his students, Jiraiya of the Sannin. Trust me, they're nothing but trash. And yet, perverts absolutely love 'em." he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Caulifla waved her hand dismissively and said, "Yeah, yeah, that's all well and good. Now, how do we go about getting the damn thing without setting off a buttload of traps?"

The young Saiyan looked around at all the well placed traps and shrugged his shoulders. "Just leave it to me. All my pranks on the villagers for their bullshit were pretty good at honing my trap-making and disarming skills. I'll get that book, no problem."

Sure enough, as they watched Naruto get to work, they were a bit stunned to see how easily disarming the traps was for him. Once he was finished, Caulifla and Kale hopped down and the boisterous Saiyan woman picked it up and began flipping through it out of pure curiosity. When she saw the pictures and read a few pages, she shook her head in disgust. "Ugh. This is pure garbage! I could write a better book than this shit."

Naruto chuckled a bit and nodded his head in agreement. "I'm already working on writing some novels myself. Romance mixed with adventure. Hopefully once I'm finished, they'll sell well enough that I'll be set for a while financially." he said, shrugging his shoulders afterwards.

Kale brightened up at this and looked into his eyes with a giddy smile on her face. "You're writing a book?! T-That's amazing! H-How come you didn't tell us before?"

The young man chuckled a bit as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, it just kinda slipped my mind."

Caulifla sighed and waved the Hokage's book around. "Okay, enough of that. Where's the next item? By my estimation, we've already been here for about an hour, looking for these things. I'm curious to see what we have to deal with next."

Naruto was about to say something when he suddenly clutched his head and groaned out in pain. "Ugh. Crap. I didn't think they'd all dispel at once like that." he said, wincing in agony.

Kale quickly placed her hands on his arms and looked into his eyes. "N-Naruto-kun? Are...are you okay?"

The violet-eyed youth looked into Kale's worried eyes and offered her a small, strained smile. "I-I'll be fine Kale-chan. Something happened to the rest of my clones and they all dispelled at once. One of them did find the last item, though. It's surrounded by a bunch of giant leeches, some large wolves, and other animals. It's like a nest of monsters."

Caulifla looked Naruto over and placed a hand upon his head, ruffling his hair a bit. "Just show us where it is, and Kale and I will take care of it. You've done enough, Naruto. No need to push yourself too hard."

Naruto nodded and began leading them towards the final item. When they finally reached it, the black-haired youth pointed out each of the enemies they'd have to deal with. Then, he looked down at the item and sighed. "That's the Hokage's crystal ball that he uses to spy on people. I know he's used it to spy on me on more than one occasion. He doesn't know that I know about that though."

Kale frowned deeply and gently squeezed Naruto's hand. "T-That's wrong. That's an invasion of privacy! H-He shouldn't do such a t-thing!"

Caulifla glared down at the crystal ball and said, "Maybe we should just smash the damn thing if he's going to pull that kind of crap. I'd rather he not look in on the three of us like that."

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "If we smash it, we'd be in deep shit. Let's just grab the damn thing and get this test over with. I know I could use some rest after my clones were all dispelled like that. The mental backlash hurts like hell."

The feisty Saiyan woman looked at her fellow Saiyan and placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder. "Like I said before, just leave this part to us. We'll get that item and deal with all the threats in the area. Ready, Kale?"

Kale nodded and a rare look of seriousness appeared on her face. "Yeah. Let's do this, Caulifla!"

And with that, the two Saiyan women were off, destroying the animals and insects that had taken up residence in the area. Despite the sheer number of enemies, it had turned into something of a massacre with the two of them working together to take out all of the enemies. When they were finally finished, Kale picked up the crystal ball and frowned deeply as she stared at it. "I don't like this thing. I w-wish we could just get rid of it."

Caulifla glared at the item and nodded her head in agreement. "Same. Oh well, let's just go. Anko-sensei is probably waiting for us at the gate. I'd rather not keep the psycho waiting any longer than we have to."

As they began making their way back towards the gate where their sensei would be waiting, Kale tentatively reached out and brushed her fingers against Naruto's before gently taking his hand in hers and squeezing it ever so slightly. When he looked her way, she offered him a shy smile and blushed a bit. No words needed to be spoken between them as they just walked together in silence.

Caulifla noticed this and couldn't help but smile. 'Atta girl, Kale. I'm glad you're feeling so comfortable around him. It looks like he's really going to be a positive influence on you.

As they neared the gate, they could see their sensei waiting for them with a devilish smirk on her face. "Well, well. Looks like you've got the items, and you're looking to be in pretty good shape too. Good job."

Caulifla scowled at Anko and pointed a finger at her angrily. "You're a psycho! Pissing off those wasps, setting up a ton of freaking traps, and then putting this stupid crystal ball in the middle of a damn monster's nest...ugh. What were you even thinking?!"

Anko began to chuckle at this point. "I was thinking that I needed to really test you to see just what you were capable of. I only knew so much before taking on this team, and I felt I needed to get to know you three better. Though Naruto, you're looking a bit worse for wear. You alright?"

Naruto nodded slowly. "I'll be fine. Just have a hell of a headache from most of my clones dispelling at once. It'll pass eventually. Anyways, do we pass, Anko-sensei?"

The Snake Mistress nodded and gave them a thumbs up. "Yep! We're officially Team 11 starting today! I'd say let's start with your training and take some of those lame D-rank missions, but that seems kinda pointless when you're feeling like that, Naruto. Unless you think you can handle some simple stuff?"

The whiskered teen frowned in thought for a while before shaking his head "I'd love to say, "Hell yeah! Let's do it!", but honestly? I just don't feel up to doing any of that crap. I think right now, I just need some rest."

Anko offered him a smile and patted him on the shoulder. "Let me treat you guys to a nice lunch before you head on home to get some sleep. 'Kay, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled and nodded his head. "Sounds like a plan to me, Anko-sensei. Thank you."

"Meh, don't mention it. You deserve to enjoy something good to eat after having to go through all this crap for a lousy test. First though, we need to return this junk to Hokage-sama. I'm sure he's missing his precious stuff. Kinda wish I could just get rid of 'em though." Anko said with a shrug before leading her team towards the Hokage Tower.

Caulifla scoffed as she looked at the book in her hands and then at the crystal ball Kale held. "This book's complete trash, and I don't care for the idea that he can spy on us with that crystal ball of his whenever he wants. I don't give a shit about the pipe, but those two things need to be destroyed."

"Heh, I agree with ya Caulifla-chan. Sadly, perverts like him love that smutty crap. Trust me, if you ever see a silver-haired man with one eye and his nose buried in one of those books, steer clear of him. Kakashi's a lazy bastard that doesn't deserve his rank if you ask me." Anko said, sounding a bit disgusted at the mere thought of the man. "As for the crystal ball, he mainly uses it to spy on Naruto-kun. After all, gotta keep an eye on the village's greatest weapon, right?"

Kale scowled at this and squeezed Naruto's hand just a bit tighter. "T-That's just not right! Naruto-kun's not just some weapon! He's a person, just like the rest of us. How can they treat him like that?!"

Anko looked back at Kale and shook her head sadly. "It's just how jinchuriki like Naruto-kun are treated in this world. It pisses me off, because the villages make them into jinchurikis, oftentimes without their consent, and then they treat them like trash. They view them as the demons themselves and not as real people. Others like to treat them as weapons that shouldn't have feelings of their own. I've heard that Suna's jinchuriki has had numerous attempts on his life and he's turned into a psychopath because of that shit. And sadly, that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how people treat jinchuriki. I hate it."

Caulifla looked rather pissed while Kale had a look of shock and horror on her face. Clenching her fists tight, the busty Saiyan looked at Anko and said, "I swear to whatever gods you pray to here that, if they continue to treat Naruto-kun like that, I'll start killing people. I refuse to let him suffer their shit any longer."

Naruto frowned at this and shook his head. "It won't help, Caulifla-chan. You'll just get in trouble for killing citizens of Konoha. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me. It's best just to ignore the assholes and deal with all the crap as best we can. And also, because I don't think you've had the 'pleasure' of meeting them yet, I'd steer clear of Sasuke Uchiha and his fangirls, especially Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka. Sasuke's a prick that's so damn full of himself, it's a wonder the stick up his ass hasn't penetrated his brain yet. Sakura and Ino though? They're psycho-bitches when it comes to their precious 'Sasuke-kun'. Trust me when I say this: you are going to hate them. Then again, you're probably going to hate a lot of people in this village. I know I do."

Caulifla scowled at this and reached out, taking his free hand in hers. "With us here, you won't be alone to deal with their shit anymore. I promise we'll look out for you, Naruto-kun. We Saiyans gotta stick together, after all. Right Kale?"

Kale nodded emphatically and looked at her new friend with a smile. "R-Right! We're with you, Naruto-kun. You'll never have to feel lonely again."

Naruto chuckled a bit at this and thanked the both of them. Before he could say anything, however, Anko got their attention. "We're here you three. Let's get in there and give the Hokage his stuff back. I'll have to give my report on how you did, and let him know you've passed and all that jazz. After that's over and done with, we can go get some food. Sound good?"

Caulifla grinned and pounded a fist against her chest. "Hell yeah! I'm starving! And I'd rather not be around the old man for any longer than I have to be. I know I probably shouldn't say this about the leader of the village, but I don't like him. Don't trust him either."

Anko shrugged and said, "I don't blame you. Not with all the secrets he's been keeping from Naruto-kun for so damn long. Naruto should have been made aware of the Kyuubi much sooner. He also has the right to know about his parents. But nope, Hokage-sama has to be an asshole about that shit. He's made some awful decisions regarding Naruto-kun, and it makes it hard to trust him. I'm not sure what the hell his problem is, but we shouldn't dwell on it for too long. It'll just piss us off the more we think about it."

The three Saiyans nodded in understanding before following Anko into the Hokage's office. Once inside, they placed the three valuables on Hiruzen's desk and bowed politely to him, though they did so reluctantly. "Sorry about taking these things from you, Hokage-sama. If it helps any, they passed the test pretty much flawlessly, so that's good, right?"

Hiruzen chuckled a bit and nodded his head. "Of course. And don't worry, I'm not upset. I wouldn't have let you take them if I feared they would be lost to me forever. And you say they passed your test? Good to hear. Congratulations, Naruto-kun, Caulifla, and Kale."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Naruto said, while the two female Saiyans remained quiet. "Will that be all? My head's killing me and I could really use some rest."

The Third Hokage frowned and shook his head. "I have something to discuss with you, Naruto-kun. Anko? Please take your other Genin and leave my office. What we have to discuss is a private matter."

Anko frowned at this, but nodded reluctantly. Motioning for the two sixteen year-old Saiyans to follow her, she led them out of the office. After they shut the door, Anko looked into the eyes of her fellow women and said, "We'll wait for him out here. I have a feeling he's gonna be pretty pissed, if my gut isn't lying to me."

In the office, Naruto took a seat and stared into the Hokage's eyes. "What did you need from me, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen sighed. He knew he had lost any respect Naruto had for him, and he was pretty sure he knew why, as well. Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, he stared hard into Naruto's eyes and said, "I know they told you about your parents. I also know you're upset with me about hiding what I have from you. You must understand though that it was in your best interests to maintain those secrets."

Scoffing, Naruto glared at the Hokage and said, "Bullshit. It might have been in your best interests to hide everything from me, but it certainly wasn't in mine. I deserved to know about at least the Kyuubi. I asked you time and time again why I was so despised by the villagers, and you lied right to my face every. Fucking. TIME! And I asked you about my parents so damn often because I KNEW you knew exactly who they were! It would have been wonderful to know that they at the very least fucking LOVED me, but no! You wouldn't even give me that comfort! So no, you old bastard, it wasn't in my best interests AT ALL."

Hiruzen frowned and shook his head. "I'd prefer it if you didn't call me that, Naruto-kun. As your Hokage, I deserve respect."

"Respect is earned, not given freely, Hokage-sama. And whatever respect I had for you is gone now. If you want my respect again, you'll have to earn it the hard way, just as everyone else has to."

Sighing, Hiruzen shook his head and reached into one of the drawers on his desk before pulling out a few letters, a couple of scrolls, and some keys. Sliding them across his desk to Naruto, he said, "As you wish, Naruto-kun. Anyways, these are from your parents. As you already know, your father was a Saiyan named Carron. Your mother was the last of her clan, the Uzumaki's. Her name was Kushina and she loved your father dearly. When she learned that she was pregnant with you, she was absolutely ecstatic. Your father was proud and couldn't wait for you to be born. Unfortunately, someone infiltrated the village at the time of your birth and pretty much ripped the Kyuubi from your mother. I'm not sure who it was that did it, but whoever it was is responsible for your parents' demise. I'm sorry."

Naruto scowled at hearing this and shook his head. "My best guess is it was an Uchiha. From what I've read of them, the strongest of them can control the bijuu if they wanted to. So yeah, I'm pretty sure an Uchiha is responsible for the Kyuubi attack on the village. And then it was sealed into me. I may not have talked to the Kyuubi yet, but I'm sure he's probably pretty pissed off. Just tell me this, Hokage-sama: did my parents want to seal the Kyuubi into me?"

Hiruzen shook his head negatively. "No, Naruto-kun. Your mother would have rather taken the Kyuubi with her into the grave than make you suffer as its jinchuriki. Your father wouldn't have allowed it either. But Minato, my successor, chose to seal the beast inside of you instead, much to your parents' protests against such a thing. I honestly don't know if he felt the village needed a weapon, or if he was just a naive fool, but what's done is done. You are the third Kyuubi jinchuriki, and as such are important to this village, whether you realize it or not."

Frowning at this, Naruto crossed his arms across his chest and said, "If I'm so damn important to the village, then the least you can do is make sure those villagers treat me with some fucking respect. No, you'd rather let them beat me, humiliate me, and rob me of whatever happiness I deserve. Instead, you told me to forgive them and try to understand where they were coming from. That they didn't know any better and would eventually stop with their shit. How wrong you were, old man."

The Third Hokage sighed and nodded his head. "I know, and I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. If I could go back and do things right, you should believe that I would. I've made my fair share of mistakes, especially regarding you, Naruto-kun. Anyways, I've taken up enough of your time. These are from your parents. I'll guide you and your friends to your new home. I'll send a Genin team to your apartment to pack your things and move them into your new home. Follow me, Naruto-kun."

"As you wish, Hokage-sama." Naruto said as he collected his parents' items and followed the Hokage out of his office. When he saw that his teammates were there waiting for him, he offered the a smile and motioned for them to follow after him.

The three of them frowned for a moment before shrugging and following after the two men. When they reached the gates that led into Naruto's parents' home, their eyes widened in astonishment. "Wow." Anko said as she stared at Naruto's new home. "You lucky guy. You get to live someplace awesome!"

Naruto nodded slowly in agreement before he did as the Hokage instructed and wiped a bit of blood on the seal holding the gate shut. When the gate swung open, he and his friends followed the Hokage up to the front door where Naruto quickly unlocked it with one of the keys he now possessed.

Upon stepping inside, the members of Team 11 were shocked to see that everything appeared to be in perfect shape, almost as if it hadn't aged a day. Seeing their shock, Hiruzen smiled and said, "Your mother was a master of seals, Naruto-kun. Making a seal to preserve everything in the house was child's play for her. I'm sure you'll soon come to realize the usefulness of fuinjutsu, as I'm quite sure she's left plenty of materials for you to work with. I'm sure that, with enough time, you'll become a fuinjutsu master that surpasses even your mother in the art."

Naruto nodded slowly and looked at Hiruzen in the eyes. "Thanks old man. I appreciate it. Um, my team and I were going to go get some lunch. Can you wait until afterwards to hire the Genin team for me, please?"

"Of course, Naruto-kun. You deserve to enjoy a celebratory meal with your friends. Just come inform me when you're finished and I'll send a Genin team out to collect your things. Alright?"

"Thanks Hokage-sama. Come on ladies, let's go get some grub!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his fist into the air with a grin on his face.

With that being said, the Hokage walked them out and instructed Naruto on how to reseal the gate so nobody but Team 11 could get in. Once they were finished, Hiruzen bid them goodbye and returned to his office, leaving Team 11 to go and 'get some grub' as Naruto had said.

The Next Day

"I swear to Kami that if this rotten cat scratches me one more fucking time, I'll kill the damn thing! I don't care who the little bastard belongs to!" Caulifla screeched, clearly pissed off beyond belief.

Yes, Team 11 was on the infamous Tora capture mission. So far, Naruto and Caulifla had been scratched by the little beast numerous times. So when Kale walked up a moment later with Tora purring contently in her arms, both Saiyans glared at her, causing her to freeze momentarily. "How?" Naruto asked simply.

Kale shrugged her shoulders and said, "She seems to like me. Maybe a gentle approach is the best?"

Anko appeared a moment later and nodded her head. "Always best to be gentle with the little rascal. Just chasing the little brat around and scaring her won't get you anywhere."

Naruto sighed and nodded slowly. "You're probably right. Anyways, let's go return Tora and get paid for this crappy job."

"I'm with ya! Screw this damn cat. And you say this little beast runs away from its owner all the damn time? What's up with that, huh?" Caulifla asked, sounding very frustrated.

Anko sighed and said, "Trust me, you'll understand soon enough."

Hokage's Office - Moments later

When they saw the overweight woman known as Madam Shijimi squeezing the life out of Tora, Team 11 had mixed emotions. On the one hand, they felt the little shit deserved it. However, on the other, they couldn't help but feel for the poor thing.

Kale, unable to handle it anymore, walked up to the woman and got her attention. "Please ma'am, stop that. Tora doesn't like being squeezed to death like that. You need to be gentler with her. Here, let me show you."

Taking Tora from the daimyo's wife, Kale cradled her against her body and began to gently scratch behind her ears. When Tora began purring contently once again, Kale began to softly pet her until the cat fell asleep in her arms. "See, Madam Shijimi? Try a gentler approach and she won't run away so often. Tora's actually a really good girl, but she runs away because you're far too rough with her."

Madam Shijimi took Tora back from Kale and looked her cat in the eyes. "Is that right, Tora? Has mommy been too rough on you? I'm sorry sweetie." she said before gently petting Tora, just as Kale had shown her. When Tora nestled into her arms and purred, the overweight woman smiled happily and looked at Kale thankfully. "Thank you. What's your name, sweetie?"

"K-Kale ma'am. My name is Kale."

"Very good then. For your help in understanding my precious Tora, I'm going to make sure you get paid ten times as much as what I would usually pay for such a mission. Thank you again, Kale-chan."

Kale blushed a bit and smiled at the woman. "T-Thank you, Madam Shijimi. I really appreciate that."

"Of course. Now, Hiruzen? Make sure you treat this girl and her team right. I couldn't be prouder of them." she said before turning and making her way out of Hiruzen's office.

Once she was gone, the Hokage looked at Kale thankfully and said, "Thank you, Kale. We shouldn't be receiving anymore missions to capture Tora from this point forward I believe. Just as she said, you will be paid richly for your services. Now, are there any other missions you would like to undertake, Anko-chan?"

"Not today, Hokage-sama. I'd like to get some training in before we do anything else. Besides, you can only handle so many D-ranks a day. Lazy ass civilians, refusing to do shit for themselves."

Hiruzen chuckled a bit at that. "They do seem to believe we shinobi are here to service them, rather than what we're really meant for. They have become arrogant and stupid over the years, I'm afraid. I just wish I knew what to do to fix the mess this has all become."

"Man up and do what needs to be done. It's as simple as that, Hokage-sama. You used to be quite the fearsome person, to friends and foes alike. You were confident in yourself and you did what had to be done. You've lost that spark over the years. I say shape up and show people why you were once renowned as the Professor and God of Shinobi." Anko said, folding her arms across her chest.

The Third Hokage frowned at this, but nodded his head in agreement. "True. I suppose I'd best start doing what's right, rather than what's easy. I'll try, Anko-chan. I just hope it isn't too late."

"The only time it would be too late is if you didn't act at all before you die. I'm sure you can put everyone in their place if you put your mind to it." Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Anyways, we've got to go get some training in. Just think of all of this as food for thought. Not trying to show you any disrespect, old timer. Just trying to help you become what you were meant to be."

Hiruzen nodded and said, "I understand, Naruto-kun. You four go on and enjoy yourselves. I'll think on what you've said and try to do what's right. Do take care of yourselves."

With that, Team 11 made their way out of the Hokage's office and began making their way outside so they could return to Training Ground #44 and resume training.

Two Weeks Later

"Let me get this straight. That little punk Sasuke demanded that you give him a tougher mission because he couldn't handle a few days of D-rank missions? And when you went to reprimand him for his attitude…" Anko began, only for Naruto to interrupt.

"That ass Kakashi insisted that his team was ready for a C-rank, so you went and gave them one? But now it's gone to shit, they found out the client lied about the danger, and the mission's gone up to at least a B-rank with a high possibility of becoming an A-rank mission. Are we hearing this right?"

Hiruzen sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "I had hoped that by allowing them to go on this mission that Team 7, more specifically Sasuke and Sakura, would learn that they just aren't ready for this kind of mission yet. They need to understand the concept of teamwork, but they're failing in that regard. Yakumo-chan is the only one that shows any potential in that team, but she's going to stagnate if Kakashi doesn't focus on her training at all. You were right about Kakashi not being a suitable sensei for any team, Anko-chan."

Anko scoffed at this. "You're damn right I was right! Kakashi's a lazy asshole that doesn't deserve his rank, let alone the reputation he's received as a feared shinobi. Maybe if he'd take things more seriously, he'd be better, but I kinda doubt it. Now, will you explain why you called us here for this? I'm assuming we're meant to back up Team 7. I get that right?"

Hiruzen nodded and said, "Yes. They've gone to the Land of Waves to protect a bridge builder by the name of Tazuna while he builds his bridge. I want you to assist them in protecting Tazuna, but there's another mission I'd like you to undertake while you're there." Looking them in the eyes seriously, one by one, Hiruzen soon said, "Assassinate Gato and wipe out everyone in his employ. Free those he's taken prisoner and set things right in Wave. Do you understand me?"

Team 11 nodded as one and said, "Of course, Hokage-sama! We'll do what needs to be done."

"Very good. Pack for a month and be on your way as soon as you can. That team is not ready for this kind of mission yet, so I'm placing you in charge, Anko-chan. If Kakashi has a problem with it, tell him to fuck off and give him this letter from me. This letter should set him straight."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Anko said with a smile on her face. "Glad to see you're returning to your old self, little by little. Now team, go and get packed for a month, just as Hokage-sama said. We're going to hurry after them and assist them however we can while keeping our real mission a secret. Knowing that little shit stain Sasuke and his wannabe girlfriend, they'll just get jealous and demand that we allow them to take care of Gato."

"Yes, sensei!" they exclaimed before hurrying out of the Hokage's office to go and get their belongings. They only had one destination, as Caulifla and Kale had both moved in with Naruto the same day he had moved into his new home.

Meanwhile, Anko looked at the Hokage and grinned. "I'm glad you've got enough confidence in my team to handle something like this, Hokage-sama. Thanks. Guess we'll be seeing you when we see ya next. Take care of yourself old man."

The Third chuckled a bit and nodded his head. "Take care of you and your team, Anko-chan. I'm looking forward to hearing good news from you upon your return. And if Kakashi and his team give you a hassle, I want you to tell me the full truth about them upon your return. Do you understand me?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama. If that's all, I'll be on my way. Gotta get packed, after all."

"Yes, that will be all Anko-chan. Be safe." Hiruzen said moments before Anko left his office.

Once they were gone, Hiruzen sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose again. "Now to deal with the Council…"

A few days later

Team 11 could barely believe their eyes as they watched the scene play out before them. Kakashi had been captured quite easily by their newest enemy: Zabuza Momochi. The genin of Team 7 were pretty much stuck handling things by themselves, and the two dimwits, Sasuke and Sakura, had charged the man's water clone only to get knocked out quite easily. Poor Yakumo was stuck trying to defend the bridge builder by herself. From the profanity she was spewing, they could tell she was pissed off at her team for putting her in such a position to begin with.

Unable to simply watch this anymore, Anko nodded at her Genin and said, "Do it."

"With pleasure." Caulifla said before firing a ki blast at the clone, taking it out of the picture in an instant. When Zabuza looked her way, the Saiyan grinned and flew at him, throwing a series of ki blasts at him, forcing him to defend with his blade or risk being harmed. When the attacks just kept coming, he released his hold on the water sphere and quickly leapt out of the way of Caulifla's attacks. "C'mon, that all ya got ya freak?!"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "She never changes, does she? Have to admit, I like that about her. She's awesome just the way she is."

Kale giggled a bit and nodded her head in agreement. "I wouldn't change Sis for anything. I'm happy just being near her. But, are you sure we shouldn't go down there and help her?"

Anko shook her head. "Nah, she's got this. I'm sure the two of you could easily handle this as well if you wanted to. For now, let's check on the idiots and see if they're alright."

"As you wish. Though if Sasuke wakes up and starts bitching at me, I'm going to knock his ass right out again." Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Kale and Anko both giggled a bit at that before they went about checking on Sakura and Kakashi respectively. "So, how do you feel, knowing that you got your ass handed to you by someone that should've been easy pickings for you?" Anko questioned Kakashi with a nasty smirk on her face.

Kakashi groaned and shook his head in disbelief as he returned his headband to its usual place. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up Anko. I assume you're the backup that Hokage-sama chose to send?"

"You know it! And to top it off, he's placed me in charge of this mission. You fucked up, Kakashi. Now it's time for me to take over and get things done the right way."

The silver-haired jonin frowned at this and looked hard into her eyes. "This is my team's mission, Anko. Where's the proof that he's placed you in charge?"

Reaching into her pouch, she withdrew the letter she had been given by the Hokage and presented it to him like she was presenting a nobleman or king or something something they coveted greatly. "Here, oh grand master of idiocy."

Kakashi scowled as he snatched the letter from her hands and began to read through it. As he did, his eye widened and he scowled deeper. "So, he's really entrusting all of this to you and your team, is he? Fine then, we'll follow your orders." For now, at least. He thought, stewing just a bit over the fact that control had been stripped from him.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had come around only to see Naruto looking down at him. "Ugh. Why are you here dumbass?"

Naruto sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "Is that how you should greet someone for coming to your aid? You idiots should have returned to the village immediately upon finding out that the client lied about the danger of the mission. Should've left the old man to fend for himself. But no, you wanted to get stronger by fighting strong opponents, right? Typical for a power-hungry dumbass like you, Sasuke."

"What the hell does it matter to you? You didn't have your whole family killed in front of you! You didn't even have a family to begin with! You could never understand my pain!"

Naruto reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose in agitation for a time. Then, after a moment, he punched Sasuke as hard as he could in the face, knocking him out cold and breaking his nose in the process. "Muuuuch better. Now I don't have to listen to his bullcrap until later."

Sadly, Sakura saw this and tried to rush to her precious 'Sasuke-kun', only for Kale to hold her down. "S-Stop Sakura. You need to rest a bit. You took a pretty nasty blow to the head back there."

"Screw you! Sasuke-kun needs me!" the pink-haired girl screamed angrily. "Now get off of me you tramp!"

Caulifla turned from her defeated opponent to glare harshly at Sakura. "Nobody calls my sis a tramp. I'm going to stomp your head until it's fucking paste on the ground!" she exclaimed before flying at Sakura, prepared to do just that. However, the moment she got close, Kakashi appeared in front of her and pinned the Saiyan warrior to the ground.

"No you don't. I won't let you harm a fellow citizen of Konohagakure." Kakashi said seriously as he continued to pin Caulifla to the ground.

The Saiyan woman snarled and thrashed against him, trying to force him off, but his grip on her was tight and she was struggling just to move. "Let me go you rotten, one-eyed bastard!"

Before Kakashi could say anything, Anko walked up and punched him hard in the face, knocking him off of her student. "Fuck you Kakashi! You have no right to discipline my Genin! That little bitch on your team should be your focus! Both her and the Uchiha runt. They need to learn their place and understand the pecking order in this world. If you can't rein them in and fix their attitudes, I'm going to inform Hokage-sama that you're just not fit to lead a team of Genin. I'll also inform him about those little shits and explain how your dysfunctional team doesn't deserve to be called Genin. The only one that truly means anything on your team is Yakumo Kurama. Not you, not the Uchiha, and especially not little Miss Fangirl."

The cycloptic jonin rose to his feet and glared at Anko. "Hokage-sama may have put you in charge, but I won't have you telling me how to deal with my team. Before you point out the flaws of my team, you should take a good, long look at yours. Naruto's a moron that can't add two and two together to make four. That girl's a loose cannon. And that one over there? She's clearly the weak link on your team and liable to get everyone killed."

Team 11 each scowled at Kakashi, even Kale. However, they didn't say a word, choosing instead to take Tazuna and walk off with him towards his home, leaving Team 7 to their own devices.

"I swear to Kami right now that if Team 7 keeps up with their shit, I'm breaking them." Caulifla said seriously. "I won't tolerate their crap."

Anko sighed and nodded her head. "Neither will I. Kakashi's proven to be worse than I could have ever imagined, and his Genin aren't any better. No offense to you, of course, Yakumo." she said, smiling at the only member of Team 7 to actually follow after them. "Anyways, did you finish Zabuza off, Caulifla-chan?"

Caulifla shook her head negatively. "Nope. Some person claiming to be a hunter nin showed up and took him away before I could kill the punk. If you ask me, I'd say they're working together."

"Probably. What kind of weapon did this hunter nin use to deal the finishing blow on Mr. Monobrow?" Anko questioned.

"These thin, pointy things that looked like needles. That ring any bells?"

Anko sighed and said, "Senbon. Yeah, the hunter nin is definitely working with Zabuza if he/she is using those. Guess we'd better prepare ourselves for a confrontation with them somewhere down the line."

Naruto grinned and pounded his fists together. "I'm looking forward to it! How about you Caulifla-chan?"

Grinning at her friend, the feisty woman pumped her fist into the air and shouted out, "Oh hell yeah! I'm gonna kick their asses so hard they won't be able to sit for a week!"

Anko chuckled at this and said, "Glad to hear it. Now Tazuna, you and I have a lot we need to discuss. Not the least of which is why exactly you lied to us about the danger level of this mission. You owe us some serious dough for endangering our people the way you have."

Tazuna gulped, but nodded his head quickly in understanding. "O-Of course. I'm so sorry!"

"Meh, it's fine. You just ended up with a shitty team protecting you. Again, no offense intended to you, Yakumo-chan. We've just got a problem with your teammates, your sensei included." Anko said, sounding genuinely apologetic to the young Kurama heiress.

Yakumo sighed, but nodded her head in agreement. "Understandable. Trying to deal with those three is a horrible pain in the butt. Kakashi doesn't even deserve to be called a sensei, as he's focused all of his attention on Sasuke while neglecting Sakura and me. Then again, Sakura doesn't want to train at all anyways. Me though? I'd love to be learning more, but so far I've been left to my own devices. I really wish I had been placed on a different team."

Anko frowned at hearing this and was quiet for a while as she thought over Yakumo's situation. "Alright. If you're that eager to train, we'll help you out. We're going to have to see what you can do first, though. Okay?"

The Kurama heiress grinned and nodded her head emphatically. "I'm looking forward to it Anko-san!"

Anko chuckled again and said, "Just call me Anko. I hope we can get along well during our time together here."

Meanwhile, Naruto and his fellow Saiyans were conversing with one another about their situation. "Kale, don't let what Kakashi said get to you. We know you're not some weak link. You're just as tough as anyone here. And Naruto? We know you're not some idiot. You've proven that time and again. If that asshole badmouths us again, I'm shoving my fist down his throat."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Sounds like a good idea to me. He's an asshole, just like the jackass, Sasuke. And Caulifla-chan is right, Kale-chan. You're awesome just the way you are. I wouldn't change who you are for the world."

Kale blushed a bit and said, "T-Thank you. And d-don't worry, I wasn't letting what he said get to me. When I'm with the two of you, I feel so much more confident in myself and I feel like I can really do anything."

"That's the spirit Kale! Now, it looks like we're at the client's home, sooo...let's chill for a bit and then we can get to training. Right sensei?!"

Anko chuckled a bit and nodded her head. "Of course." Looking back over her shoulder, she saw that Sasuke was practically dragging an exhausted Kakashi behind him while Sakura swooned over her darling Sasuke-kun, as per the usual. "At least they caught up finally." she said with a shrug.

Naruto ignored Sasuke's glare and simply entered the client's home. Taking a seat on the couch nearby with Caulifla and Kale joining him, he looked around the room with a smile. "Nice place you got here Tazuna. I like it."

"Thank you, Naruto." he said sincerely. When his lovely daughter entered the room, he grinned and motioned towards the shinobi that were there to protect him. "Tsunami-chan, I want you to meet the super ninjas that are here to protect us."

Tsunami looked to every one of the ninja that had come to protect her father and smiled at them. Bowing slightly, she said, "Thank you very much for protecting my father. I know he can be a handful, but I do hope he hasn't caused you any trouble."

Kakashi offered an eye smile and said, "No trouble at all."

Anko scowled at Kakashi before turning to Tsunami. "Yes, he has been a problem. Your dear father lied about the danger this mission presented and put our people in great danger. If it was up to me, I'd have left Tazuna to fend for himself and called off the mission. But we're here, and we're going to put a stop to Gato and his machinations. Then, when your country is saved, Tazuna is going to have to pay the full price of this mission with whatever money your people can scrounge up. Maybe next time you'll put your father in his place and he'll learn not to fuck with us again."

Tsunami frowned at her father and shook her head in disappointment. "I see. Then I'm truly sorry for my father's unruly behavior. Still, you have my thanks for looking after him. I sincerely hope you can save the Land of Waves."

"Of course we can. It's our job, after all." Anko said with a smirk. "You've got nothing to worry about, I promise."

"Thank you." Tsunami said. "Now, you must be starving. Let me cook something up for all of you. And please, if my son begins to hassle you for any reason at all, don't mind him. He's been through a lot and he's been changed because of it."

"No promises. If he says something that gets under our skin, we'll make it known loud and clear not to screw with us. So you'd better do your best to keep him under control while we're here." Anko said with a frown on her face. Dealing with an unruly, annoying little shit on top of having to put up with Team 7's bullshit was just too much to deal with.

"I-I see. I'll do my best to make sure he doesn't bother you then."

"Good." Anko said simply before she and her team relaxed, waiting for dinner to be served.

A couple days later

Naruto scowled as he practiced firing ki blasts at the surrounding trees, blowing them to pieces as he did so. That rotten little bitch, Inari, had said something that really set him off and he had blown up at the little punk. How dare that little punk claim I don't know what it's like to suffer! He's lucky I didn't pound his skull in for that comment!

Before he could destroy anymore trees, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted Kale standing there looking at him with a worried frown on her face. "N-Naruto-kun? Are you going to be okay?"

Naruto sighed heavily and shook his head. "I...I don't know, Kale-chan. What that little brat said really got to me. I'm so angry and I just don't know what to do with this feeling."

Kale gently wrapped her arms around Naruto and hugged him close. "I-It'll be okay N-Naruto-kun. I'm here for you, and so is Caulifla. You're our friend, and we understand why you're in so much pain. It'll get better with time, I'm positive. But for now, l-let's just sit together and talk about whatever comes to mind. It m-might help."

The violet-eyed Saiyan smiled softly at her and nodded slowly. "Alright, Kale-chan. As you wish." he said before sitting down against a tree. When Kale sat down next to him, he reached down and took her hand in his as he so often did with her.

As the two of them lost themselves in conversation, they didn't notice Caulifla watching them from the shadows. They really are cute together. I wonder if Kale's falling for him? I guess it wouldn't be so bad, but he'd better not hurt her.

One Week Later

Team 11 was not happy with Team 7's bullshit. Because of them, they'd had a rough time trying to not just protect Tazuna, but also training and hunting for Gato and his goons. Sure, they had eventually found Gato's base of operations and dealt with him and his lackeys, killing each of them without remorse, especially after what they discovered. They had kidnapped a number of women and had begun trying to train them as sex slaves. It was disgusting and they were more than happy to kill the bastards responsible for their terrible predicament.

However, word had apparently not reached Zabuza and his minion that Gato and his people were dead. Because of this, Zabuza and his apprentice, or whatever the hell she was (they didn't know), had appeared on the incomplete bridge, both of them prepared to fight to the death.

Seeing as Tazuna's family was safe, especially with Yakumo guarding them just in case, Anko and the other members of Team 11 prepared to combat their foes. However, before they could jump into the fight, Sasuke charged Zabuza's apprentice, screaming about how he was going to kill the androgynous person.

When they began to fight, Sasuke was soon encased in a dome of ice mirrors with Zabuza's apprentice nailing the last Uchiha with a number of senbon, causing him to scream out in a mixture of pain and frustration.

Meanwhile, against orders, Kakashi began a deadly duel with Zabuza, the two of them fighting on mostly equal footing, despite the abundance of mist clouding the area around them.

"Tch. Should've known they'd pull this shit. Hokage-sama's going to hear about this." Anko said angrily.

Kale would have said something, but she suddenly found herself in the dome of ice mirrors with several senbon piercing her all over her body. Coughing up a bit of blood, she soon collapsed to her knees and tried to pry some of the senbon from her body, but she found that she was having great difficulty even moving her arms. As she began to lose consciousness, she fell to the side, her eyes closing as she struggled just to breathe.

Seeing this, Caulifla and Naruto felt an immeasurable amount of anger surging through them. Glaring from the ice user to Sasuke, who was smirking at what he had accomplished, they both began to scream out in rage as their power began to build up. "You...you son-of-a-bitch! Kale...Kale...ARRRRGH!" Caulifla screamed as her power reached a boiling point.

As Caulifla began to undergo a change, Naruto found himself feeling an immense power building up inside of him as his anger fueled him. "I'll...I'll kill you, Sasuke Uchiha! How dare you do that to Kale-chan?!" he screamed furiously.

Sasuke looked on in fear as he felt their power rising higher and higher. When their hair turned golden and their eyes took on a blue shade, he began to back away slowly, trying not to suffocate from the intense feeling he felt from the two of them. What...what are they?! Am I really going to die here?!

Yes, it wasn't good to be Sasuke at this moment. When they glanced back towards Kale, they were relieved when they saw the ice user trying to help her. Turning back to Sasuke, they snarled at him and said as one, "Die, Sasuke Uchiha!"

A/N - And that's the chapter! I warned you that you'd likely hate Sasuke by the end of this chapter, and I'm not painting Kakashi and Sakura in a good light either. And I know some of you will be pretty pissed at what I had happen to Kale, but it just feels like something Sasuke would do in that situation.

Anywho, I'm feeling rather tired and sick right now, so I'm gonna cut this short. I honestly have nooo idea what I'll work on next. Hopefully you're looking forward to whatever comes next!

Love ya people! ~MercenaryGrax