Author's Notes

Yo! Apologies for not updating this story for quite some time, I just wanted to write some new stories that I had planned in mind. But now that I'm back to the normal schedule, there will be more! So, thank you all for waiting, and I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto, while NoX is owned by EA and Westwood Studios.

Arc Two: Trouble In The Southern Lands!

Chapter One – Team Seven Forms!

-The Day After Graduation-

A day after the graduation marked the day that the teams were going to be revealed. Those graduated were very excited. Many were hoping to be alongside their friends, but that is really not guaranteed. Everyone were loud, and once the teacher, Iruka came through the door, all became silent instantly, the students having smiles on their faces. He sighed, rubbing his temples as they all knew they were all happy to finally escape the boring lectures. Though, the chunin instructor sure will miss them all. He took a look at the boy, Naruto. He still can't fathom why nobody has figured out he's a kitsune in a human disguise. Iruka always tried to at least get through to him and start some sort of conversation, but nothing really worked out as all the answers that he received was an awkward stare, or instant evasion. At least now, he is somewhat more trusting; it is at least proof that he called him 'best teacher of the academy'. He can't tell if the kit was being sarcastic or serious. Either way, it was progress for the small kits to gain trust in humans.

Of course, since the chunin teacher found out, he had been called in by the leader of the Kitsune clan; Kurama. He was nervous at first but found out that he was a very nice guy, though of course as Iruka expected; the leader of the clan told him to keep it a very important secret from the rest of the humans.

"I wish you all luck my fellow students… now, is where the real challenge begins. All of you will be assigned into squads of three, lead by a jonin sensei. You will be completing many missions for clients inside and outside of the village and work hard to improve your skills as a shinobi. Sometimes you will suffer through many hardships: though they will only make you stronger! Once again, good luck everyone, and be careful out there!" Iruka finished his speech as everybody clapped their hands, making the teacher bow, before clearing his throat.

"Alright, now, for your teams: Team One…" He started off listing the teams, to which the young purple eyed kit tuned out. To be fair, he was very excited as well to see who he would be paired up with. He talked with his friends for quite some time, until…

"Team Seven: Hikari Uzumaki-Namikaze" Iruka said with a slight wince, making the girl sigh in great annoyance.

"Naruto" Iruka announced, making the redheaded girl beam in excitement as she looked over, giving her thumbs up to him. This made the kit kind of shy away, making the girl smile slightly at that antic.

"And finally, Kinua" He finished as the two did a fist bump, before the young vampiric kit moved over to sit next to his friend and rival.

"Hey dude, wasn't expecting this match up huh?" Kinua said with a grin.

Naruto just replied calmly "Neither have I… though kind of wished it was Tereki on our team and not a human…"

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Hikari shouted with a cute pout on her face.

"Not too loudly… please" Naruto said as he covered his ears.

"Sorry, Naruto-kun" The redhead rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"Your sensei will be, huh, interesting… Anko Mitarashi" Iruka scratched his chin in thought.

Hikari paled at the mention of her.

"What's bad about her Hikari-chan?" Naruto asked innocently, confused.

"You-You'll know soon enough…" She sighed.

"Alright, next up will be team eight: Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Sasuke Uchiha"

"Aw yeah! I'm with Hinata-chan! On the other hand…" Kiba growled at the stoic Uchiha.

"Hmph, just don't get in my way, loser..." Sasuke replied, before turning back to look out of the window, making the Inuzuka scowl at him.

"This is unfair! How comes I'm not on Sasuke-kun's team?!" Sakura seethed as she narrowed her eyes on the shy heiress, who turned away instantly.

"Shut it forehead girl! I'm the one who was supposed to be paired up with Sasuke-kun! It's destiny!" Ino shouted, making most of the kits sigh in annoyance, as all watch lightning go between the fangirl's eyes.

"Alright girls, settle down… now, team eight's sensei is going to be Kakashi Hatake" Iruka announced, before he went on to the next team.

'Even worse, we've got the guy who's going to be late all the time!' Kiba thought to himself as he bashed his head on the table.

"Alright, team nine is still in circulation, so, with team ten: Shikamaru Nara" Iruka started off.

'Here we go… the reformation of the Ino-Shika-Cho' The lazy boy sighed and predicted.

"Yozu" Iruka continued, making the pineapple haired boy and a few others wide eyed, while the jolly kit just smiled and waved.

"And finally, Ichigo. Your sensei will be… huh, that's strange… Yugao Uzuki" Iruka once again, scratched his chin in confusion.

"Interesting, splitting up the Ino-Shika-Cho?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Well, I'm not sure of the official reason, though I've heard some clan members wanted to stray from the traditions" The teacher shrugged, getting a nod from the lazy boy.

"Can't wait to work with you Shikamaru" Yozu said as he came up to him.

"I wonder what's working with a genius mind would be like?" Ichigo slightly teased.

"You will see soon enough, though can't wait to work with you two as well... even though it will be troublesome" He responded with a sigh, making his two new teammates chuckle.

"Next up, Team Eleven: Sakura Haruno, Choji Akimichi and Shino Aburame. Your Sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi" The instructor said, with the pink haired girl getting a slight shiver as she took a look at the bug boy.

'Great, I have to put up with the fatso and the bug boy… this isn't going as I thought it would' She thought to herself as she sighed.

Choji just munched on his chips, while the Aburame was just sitting down at the far back, not doing anything.

"Team Twelve: Taida, Ino Yamanaka and Tereki. Your sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi" Iruka said.

"Troublesome…" Taida was the one to respond tiredly.

"I'm sad that I'm not on Sasuke-kun's team…" Ino sighed as she looked at her crush.

"Deal with it girl… Nothing will always go the way you want them to sometimes…" Tereki said calmly.

"Hmph!" Ino responded by crossing her arms in an angry manner.

Kana then decided to raise her hand "Hey sensei, what about me? You haven't placed me on a team yet"

"I apologise Kana, but the thing is, you're the odd one out, there were more members then expected, so for now, you will be working under the sole apprenticeship of Hayate Gekko. Is that alright?" He smiled at her, who nodded enthusiastically.

"If it is under a famous kenjutsu user… then hell yes!" She shouted with a grin.

"Alright everyone, again, I wish you all the best of luck in your ninja careers, and now I will allow you all a thirty minute-" Iruka started, though was stopped when the glass broke, and a woman jumped right to the front of the class. She crossed her arms and looked around at the potential future ninja and grinned at the new generation of ninja, making three certain genin slightly shiver.

She was a woman full of confidence: wearing a tan overcoat, thin metal mesh that covers her body, but not enough to actually cover her entire figure. A dark orange mini skirt and pale grey shin guards. She wears her headband proudly on her forehead, though, in addition, a small pendant that looks like a snake's fang.

"Alright maggots! Which trio of genin are known as team seven?!" She shouted out, waiting for a response, though none dared.

"Um… Anko-chan… you're thirty minutes too early…" Iruka sweat dropped, making her slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, uh… never mind then! The earlier the better! Now, if someone doesn't respond right now, I'll force you to reveal yourself!" She grinned maniacally.

Naruto of course, being the ever so good student, decided to give them away.

"Naruto! What are you doing?!" Hikari panicked as she tried to put his hand down, though to no avail.

"Just, avoiding the wrath of an angry woman" Was his simple explanation.

"That's Naruto for you, always being a gentleman" Kinua smiled.

'I see…' The special jonin narrowed her eyes.

"Um… h-hi there Anko-san…" The redhead stuttered in slight fear.

"So, you must be team seven… nice to meet you three… meet me on the roof in ten minutes! Otherwise, you'll become dinner for my pet snakes…" She smiled as she vanished in a leaf shunshin.

"Well, no time to waste! Say, Naruto, want to see who can make it to the top first?" Kinua grinned, while the multi-haired kit just smiled.

"Sure, but since Hikari-chan is now part of the team, she's included as well" Naruto said.

"Alright! New challenger! Let's go!" Kinua shouted excitedly as the two ran off.

"Better catch up!" Naruto shouted back.

"Hey! Wait for me! That's not fair!" Hikari ran after them.

'Those three are going to have lots of fun training with Anko-chan, I just know it' Iruka thought to himself as the rest of the students left for the final academy break period.

-With The New Team Seven-

"Alright, you know the drill: basic introductions! My name is Anko Mitarashi, but for now on, you three will call me Anko-sensei! Got that?" She grinned and everyone nodded, well, Hikari was kind of shaking.

"Now, to introduce yourselves, you just need to say your name and last name, likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies… whatever" She explained with a slight smirk on her face, and her new students listened closely. The kits in disguise were quite unnerved by this, as, if they tried to lie, their sensei might get mad… if she can even sense lies. Though, that possibility is considered. Technically, they are screwed if they reveal themselves here. The two look at each other in a silent conversation, maybe at least tell the two humans since they are technically part of the team now. On the other hand… yeah, they should just get this over and done with.

"Now, you already know my name, but I'll tell you anyways. I am Anko Mitarashi, and my likes and hobbies include spending time with friends, torturing in the T&I department, training, observing the local wildlife in training ground 44, eating dango at the local tea shop and my most favourite thing: snakes. My dislikes? Perverts, traitors, and people judging others for their past. Dream for the future? To be honest… none, except, to bring one evil man to justice…" She finished.

Everyone gained interest upon hearing about their new sensei, though she changed subject before even anyone could ask her questions.

"Alright… let's start with you, red riding hood" She name called, getting a cute pout from Hikari.

"Alright, my name is Hikari Uzumaki, my likes and hobbies include gardening, training, spending time with family and friends, pranks and of course, the best food in the world: ramen!" She started.

"I strongly disagree… dango rules" Anko smiled slightly.

"No, ramen is better! Anyways, my dislikes are perverts, traitors, withered gardens and withered flowers, and people who just can't stop treating me like royalty because they view me as the 'princess of the hokage' which makes urgh!" She continued.

"It's tough being in your own father's shadow, isn't it?" The snake mistress rhetorically asked.

"Yeah… anyways, my dream for the future… is to become the first female hokage!" Hikari grinned as she looked towards the stone faces.

"Very ambitious girl! I like it! Now, you, rainbow hair" She said with a smirk, making the kitsune in disguise sigh in annoyance, since there are going to be problems.

"Fine, my name is Naruto… Okami-Kitsune…" He started off hesitantly, making the snake mistress's eyes widen.

"You're not joking around, right?" Anko questioned, as Naruto shook his head in a negative, making her faceplant to the floor, getting a sweat drop from the newly graduated genin. Especially the multi-haired coloured kit, who sighed again for the umpteenth time.

'Never thought that he was a kitsune all this time… pretty impressive to stay hidden all this time' Anko thought to herself with a small smile on her face.

"My likes and hobbies include communing with nature, training, hanging out with friends, playing with magic, working with chemistry, spending time with family, and art" Naruto continued, getting shocked looks from the two humans.

"Magic and Chemistry? Like potions? I thought those things were only from fairy tales" Hikari scratched her chin in confusion.

"Well, now you know it's not!" Kinua responded.

"Anyways, my dislikes include humans, especially evil humans, bad yokai, those who abuse their powers for their own ends, wars and fighting. I might be acting like a pacifist, though the reason I fight is to protect those precious to me. One last thing, I also hate being treated like royalty" He continued, getting even more shocked looks from his human teammates, even his childhood friend Kinua, who thought he knew him most, but apparently not.

"And my dream… is to unite humans and yokai as one, surpass my parents and become the next leader of the Kitsune clan, even better than father!" He grinned.

"Now, that was very unexpected… so, two very ambitious young genin! I like your spirits! And now, the last one, you, emo kid" She pointed, getting a not friendly look from the vampiric kit.

"Alright, to point out straight, I'm NOT an emo! I am Kinua Kaizo, from the famous Kaizo family, and the brown hair and orange eyes are our natural colour!" Kinua started.

Anko put her hands in a defensive position "Alright, alright, I get it, was just messing with ya"

"My likes and hobbies; Training, challenging Naruto from time to time, hanging out with friends and spending time with family. Honestly, I am also a big fan of powerful and flashy techniques. The night-time is my favourite time of day, and a fact about me… is that I am basically kind of a vampire, but kitsune version" Kinua started, getting interested looks from the humans.

"A vampire, eh? That is my kind of thing… are you sure snakes and vampires don't go well together?" She smiled innocently, getting the brown-haired kit to gulp slightly.

"By the way, I know what you might be thinking, no, I do not burn in the sunlight as you can obviously see" He sighed.

"Anyways… the things I dislike, honestly, it's humans, but like my pal Naruto said, a certain type of humans, which is bad. I also dislike stupid yokai that love to possess others, I know that from experience… finally, I dislike most salty foods, but not all of it" He finished as he looked at the purple eyed kit as they remembered that time.

"Do you have any big dreams like the other two?" Anko asked, interested.

"Not really… honestly not a big dreamer, though a simple one is to become the next leader of the Kaizo family and beat Naruto in a spar someday" He looked at his best friend and smiled, to which Naruto smiled back.

"Alright! All of you are pretty interesting! Meet me at training ground forty-four at eight pm sharp! Don't eat breakfast, you'll puke during the activity I have planned for you all…" She said sultrily with an evil grin, making the three genin shiver as they received a letter from her of the location, before using shunshin to disappear.

"Well, what should we do in the meantime?" Hikari asked in thought.

"I don't know, explore the village, maybe?" Kinua suggested.

"H-How about coming over to my place? You know… to discuss plans and such?" Naruto decided to suggest, albeit a bit shyly.

"That sounds like an awesome idea!" The redhead brightened up at the idea of hanging out with her secret crush.

"I mean, I don't mind, as long as Naruto's parents agree to let a human into the small community/town we have" The brown-haired kid shrugged as they went off into Konoha's forest, making sure at the same time no one is following them.

-The Next Day, Training Ground Forty-Four-

Everyone was excited as the three genin stood at attention with smiles on their faces. Yesterday, Hikari was introduced to the parents of the purple-eyed kit, who at first found them kind of frightening since the leader of the Kitsune clan was analysing her, making sure she wouldn't cause any trouble. Though in the end, they agreed that she's allowed to visit, at the cost of course to keep their true identities secret. The same goes for Anko, who was called in by Kurama, who was told the same thing as Hikari. The snake mistress promised with her soul and heart that she would not reveal the information and keep it to herself, which earned respectful nods from the parents. The condition applies to any human who knows of them, the kitsune; their memories shall be altered to where nobody knows that they are the Kitsune yokai species, if they hear that information was leaked. The sensei and Hikari agreed to the term and promised to pass it on to those who know. That was the beginning of a growing bond between the team.

"Alright kids, listen up! From this point on there is no turning back! Your objective is to deliver this scroll to the tower at the centre of the forest! You might think that this will be simple; though it is not" She smiled, as the genin heard the loud roars of massive and dangerous creatures from within, making them shiver and their hairs on their arms stand up. However, at the same time, they were bubbling up with excitement.

"So! Here are the basic rules and a scenario! You have to decide who will hold the scroll before entering the forest, as it is very important. By the way, you two can release your kitsune features as abilities of any kind are allowed" She started, as the two looked at each other and nodded, before doing a simple tiger hand sign and released their fox tails and ears, with the girls widening their eyes and shouting 'kawaii!'. Hikari asked if she could pet Naruto's tail, and denied the request, explaining that he would find it uncomfortable. That gained a pout from her, before their attention was brought back from a simple cough by their sensei. Before she started explaining everything.

Scenario: During a stealth mission, you stole a secret scroll that contains information on the secrets of the enemy village, however, during the heist, the squad was spotted, and most were eliminated in combat, giving you and your other two surviving members to escape through a planned route. A powerful enemy shinobi was chasing you down so they could retrieve the scroll back, and it is your job to escape preferably with no casualties. Your goal is to make it to the rendezvous point where backup would arrive and handle the rest.

Rule No. 1: The team will be given a two minute head start to prepare and get as far away as possible.

Rule No. 2: Success of the mission solely relies on the teamwork of the squad.

Rule No. 3: Whatever happens, do NOT open the scroll on any occasion!

Rule No. 4: Any tool is allowed for use whether it is magic, jutsu, ninja weapons etc.

Rule No. 5: Hunting for food and water is allowed, though are you sure you want to take the risk?

"Alright maggots, if you're all prepared, then let the games begin!" She shouted with a big grin on her face as she watched all the genin scurry off into the forest.

'This is going to be fun…' She had an all too innocent smile on her face.

-Forest Of Death-

The new team seven were rushing through the thick trees at great speed. They were in unknown territory, never knowing what they might come across. So, with Naruto sensing a hiding spot where they could rest, they hid pretty well as they started discussing further plans of action. Anko was a jonin, and a special one to boot, while the three were genin. That was a fact. There was no way that they would be able beat her. The only thing they had to do was to stall the special jonin as long as possible, or, go the stealthy route. Naruto gives a suggestion; he has been working on a new potion type, to which is invisibility. He said that this was the perfect time to test it, as since he was busy of course with the graduation and everything. His two teammates grinned as they looked through the clear glass at the silvery liquid inside that gives off a whitish hue.

"I never thought it would be a real thing but… there it is right in front of me… though, what about you Naruto-kun?" Hikari asked.

The multi-hair coloured kit gave a cheeky smile, "I can cast it myself, was taught from my mother about it"

"I see…" Hikari said as the two drank a bit of it, which made them vanish from sight completely.

Et → Cha → Et → Cha "Invisibility!" He whispered in the strange language, vanishing along with the others, his body now cloaked with the air around him just like his other two teammate's.

-With Anko-

'Hmm, I wonder where they could be…' She thought to herself as she scanned the area, trying to sense for their chakra signatures, though there seems to be multiple of the same.

'Shadow Clones?' She thought as she smiled.

"Pretty good for a team of genin, though not good enough" She said out loud, while weaving a few hand signs.

Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram "Ninja Art: Summoning Technique!" She shouted as a couple of snakes appeared beside her. She told them to follow the transformed clones and eliminate them, if possible, to which the reptiles obeyed and scurried off into the locations of the clones.

'You can run… but you can't hide' She evilly smiled, licking her lips as her eyes transformed, becoming slitted and turning a greenish yellow just like a snake's.

-With Team Seven-

The genin were carefully traversing through the unstable path of the forest. Nothing so far has sensed them, and they are slowly coming to the half-way point of the tower. Their guards were completely up, not wanting to miss anything that would be out of the ordinary. They can't stop moving, otherwise that would mean their sensei would be able to catch up to them. The team were still invisible, though they were starting to become slightly paranoid as a feeling of being watched overwhelmed them. Once Naruto's and Kinua's ears twitched slightly, it made them stop, which made Hikari stop as well.

"What's going on?" She whispered.

Naruto responded silently, though sweat dropped from his forehead "I have a feeling we're being toyed with, I can sense something hiding in the leaves north-west a couple meters away…"

"Yeah, I can confirm… that killing intent…" Kinua added with a shocked look as he heard kunai whiz towards them.

"Everybody duck!" He shouted as he tackled his friends and teammates on the ground, causing their invisibility to shatter, reappearing again.

"Well, well, well… it seems that the three little piggies finally decided to come out of hiding!" Anko grinned as she played a bit with her senbon.

"God damn it! We've been found!" Kinua screamed.

"Calm yourself man! We've got this under control!" Naruto shouted as he threw a smoke bomb on the ground, before the team sped off into the direction of the tower.

'Never thought that mere genin could become invisible like this… but still, they are no match for me' She licked her lips as her strange snake-like eyes tracked the speeding genin, before with a simple ram seal, she sunk into the ground with a creepy smile on her face.

'I wonder how long they will be able to run for?' She thought to herself.

-With The Rookies and Kitsune Seven-

"Hey, do you think the three are okay?" Yozu asked, a bit worried for their friends.

"Don't worry! I'm sure they'll blitz through this Anko's test no problem!" Kiba exclaimed, his canine partner barking in agreement.

"I've heard she's one sadistic gal, who'll pull you into insane training regimes" Shikamaru sighed, thinking it is too troublesome to explain.

"Whoever she is, I know they'll pass their test with flying colours" Tereki said with full confidence.

"I'm just mostly worried about Hikari-chan" Choji said through munching chips, making some sigh at his antics.

-Back With Team Seven-

"Fire style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" Anko shouted as the genin were prepared to dodge out of the way, though, Naruto noticed as the air around them started to catch fire as well, and his hand got cut by a hidden wire.

'Crap! This entire area is surrounded by ninja wire!' He thought to himself, slightly panicking.

'Can't dodge, going to have to use the move… even though it's going to drain my mana' He thought as he started doing strange gestures with his right hand.

Un → Et → Zo → Cha → Un → Et → Zo → Cha "Forcefield!" Naruto shouted, as a blue hue surrounded him, looking like a sphere; a protective spiritual barrier around him. It negated most of the damage for him, though was destroyed in a mere instant. However, he didn't come off unscathed as there were slight burn marks on him. Hikari used her chains to create a half-sphere around herself to protect her from the flames, while Kinua used one of his clan techniques known as bloodrush to quickly dash out of the zone. Once the flames died down, Anko scoffed as she saw them reunite once more, the only one with a few marks is the purple eyed kit.

"You guys alright?" Kinua asked, and the other two nodded.

"We fell for her trap… she's not going easy on us… my senses went haywire in the flames, just happy that my tail did not catch fire" Naruto sweated slightly, recovering from the heat, rubbing his soft fluffy tail for comfort.

"It seems that you three are a little shaken up, that is what I like to see…" She licked her lips, making the three shiver.

"Which one of you has the scroll? If you give it to me, I'll let you all go free!" She tried to tempt as she held out her hand, though instead received smirks from all the genin.

"You think we would give up that easily?! Think again!" Hikari grinned as they all poofed into smoke, getting wide eyes from the snake mistress.

'Shadow clones?! When?!' She thought long and hard, and soon narrowed her eyes, before grinning at the realisation.

'This is starting to get very interesting…' She thought to herself, transforming into a snake and slithering away after them.

-With Team Seven, A Few Hours Before Dark-

"It's coming closer to dark… we must find a spot to rest" Hikari said as they continued to run full speed through the trees. The two kitsune noticed that the Uzumaki girl was slowly but surely starting to lose it. The two looked at each other and nodded.

"Though, we are so close to the tower… I can see it in the distance!" Kinua shouted, pointing to the large and tall building within their vision.

"Yeah but… we've been trying our best to reach it, though so far I feel like we haven't been making any progress at all" Naruto thought.

"I know what's happening here, we're stuck in a genjutsu" Hikari said.

"I can sense the chakra shifts in the air… I see what you mean" Naruto said, as he used his nose to his advantage.

"Kai!" All three of them shouted at the same time, releasing the illusion.

"Very observant of you, my dear genin" Anko laughed as she phased out of a tree, throwing a kunai with a tag. Making their eyes widen.

"Damn! An explosive tagged kunai!" Hikari shouted, doesn't have enough time to gather her chakra for an adamantine chain wall, though the purple eyed kit saved the day.

Tiger → Snake → Rat → Snake → Tiger "Water Style: Water Wall!" He shouted, spitting water from his mouth, surrounding them, before erecting up all around the team, protecting them from the explosion that occurred near the wall.

"That was a close one! Cheers man!" Kinua sweat dropped with a small sigh of relief as the wall dropped. However, what they noticed is that Anko was gone, before reappearing behind the redhead, a kunai at her neck.

"Give it up! If you hand over the scroll, I'll let her live!" She grinned, making the boys of the team scowl as Anko licked her own lips, just like a snake.

"That's a dirty trick!" Kinua shouted in anger.

"What do you expect? We are shinobi… we do not play fair, a hostage situation like this could happen at any time during a mission. I wonder… what will you do?" Anko questioned, who was smiling like crazy at the distraught looks on the male genin's faces.

"The clock's ticking! Make your choice now!" The snake mistress shouted, hardening her grip on Hikari, the kunai even closer to her neck, making the Uzumaki girl slightly squirm.

"Stop! Alright fine… just leave Hikari-chan alone, the scroll is yours" Naruto cried out, channelling chakra into his hand as a black scroll with a red snake symbol appeared, throwing it to Anko, who caught it in her free hand. She smiled, releasing their teammate from her iron grip. Hikari ran over to Naruto and hugged him, making the kit slightly flustered, but not by much.

"This is not like you Naruto… you're giving it up already?!" Kinua shouted angrily.

Anko grinned, as she started unrolling the scroll "I guess you made the right choice, little kit… even though I am impressed by your efforts and teamwork, I'm afraid I'm going to have to-"

Her speech was stopped as when she opened the scroll, a big array of seals was revealed, with Hikari having her hands in a ram seal and grinning. An explosion occurred, and that was the perfect time for the team to book it to the tower.

-With Anko-

She was stunned.

Completely stunned at this display.

'So, no wonder Kitsune are known to be great tricksters… not to mention good actors, I genuinely thought they were giving up...' She thought to herself, an impressed whistle escaped her. However, she had no time to ponder… she had prey to catch.

"You won't get away that easily!" She shouted, her snake eyes scanning for them, sprinting as fast as possible to catch them.

'And here I thought they were on their last legs…' Was her thought, clearly impressed with their skills.

-With Team Seven, Middle of the Night-

They reached the tower within minutes, this time really on their last legs. Especially Hikari, who was panting like hard from exhaustion. Yes, she might be an Uzumaki, but even they have their own limits. The team sighed in relief as they high fived each other, before deciding to walk inside. However, before it could happen…

"Striking Shadow Snakes!" She shouted, as a bunch of snakes appeared at the front, making the genin's eyes widen in shock. They were not prepared. In a last-ditch effort, Naruto went in front of his teammates, performing the signs quickly for a forcefield, as he had enough mana that managed to regenerate over time.

Un → Et → Zo → Cha → Un → Et → Zo → Cha "Forcefield!" He shouted as a sphere of spiritual light surrounded him. Of course, he tanked most of the damage, though, the kit didn't expect a paralyzing poison to take effect.

"Looks like you made it in time… though, it is time to end this!" She came through the doors.

"Damn it! The entrance was a trap as well! Naruto! Hang on! Hikari, think you can hold her off while I take care of Naruto?" Kinua asked as he put the purple eyed kit to the side of a tree.

Hikari nodded her head in determination, before turning to Anko "Don't you dare come near Naruto-kun and Kinua-kun!" She shouted.

"Oh? Then what are you going to do if I do come closer?" She smirked, going one step forward.

"I'll tear you to shreds!" She declared, preparing her adamantine chains.

"Big words for such a little girl…" Anko narrowed her eyes, before smiling as she witnessed something incredible.

Kinua prepared his fangs, before biting down into Naruto's arm, draining the poison specifically out of his system.

"Argh…" Naruto could barely speak, as the pain was nullified from paralysis, though soon recovered quickly as the vampiric kitsune released his hold of his best friend.

"There, that should do it… sorry about that man, should've let you know sooner" He apologised, getting Naruto to his feet.

He just waved it off, "No problem, friends help each other out, right? Now, lets kick some… butt!" though stopped himself as he was about to swear. His mother would berate him for that.

"Oh come on! Stop being such a goodie too shoes for once man!" Kinua exclaimed and nudged him in the shoulder, making Naruto slightly embarrassed.

"You all pass!" Anko said in glee, getting the genin's attention.

"What?!" Was their response.

"Konoha values teamwork, and clearly you all used it to your advantage… and the smart tactics included in trying to stall me as long as possible with incredible strategies to boot. I'm all proud of you all! Hikari, you would risk your life to protect your injured teammates, even at the brink of exhaustion. Naruto, you were the most active of all, making sure that everyone is safe and sound, like a secondary team leader shall your superior be unable to protect you, fighting their own battles or is incapacitated by the enemy. And Kinua, I've heard you were the brains of the group, who came up with all these crazy strategies" The snake mistress praised, making them all blush in slight embarrassment.

"So, what now?" Hikari asked, her stance easing.

"Team Seven… I congratulate you all on becoming fully fledged genin! Our first mission together starts the day after tomorrow!" She shouted and pointed up to the sky.

The three students cheered, as they fist bumped each other, before the smiling snake mistress led them all back out of the forest of death. Of course, the two kitsune had to hide their features on their way out.

'Those three sure are going to be a lot of fun to be around' Anko thought to herself, as she went to report to the hokage's office of the success.

End of Chapter

Hallo everybody! I hope ya all enjoyed a bit of action in this chapter, yes? Well, apologies for the very long wait. I was working on a few new stories that were released not too long ago and wanted to get some chapters in on them. Though, now that I'm back to my normal update schedule, expect more chapters to come! What do you think of the team set ups by the way? I wanted a change from the usual canon teams. A few new abilities were shown as well, yes. I will list them and the teams below as a bit of revision. I think this is the last time I do this kind of thing at the end of a chapter, though let me know if you want me to keep going!

Techniques:

Forcefield – Literally creates an ethereal shield around you that negates 50% of the damage from any kind of attack, though not very useful against taijutsu if they hit hard enough…

Bloodrush – A technique that technically 'teleports' you away a few feet/meters away from the source of the danger, of course by the cost of some of your own blood.

Snake Eyes – Allows the user to see their prey through 'Heat Vision' (Also known as Infrared). Anko used this ability to see the heat patterns of the genin from at least a kilometre away. Cooling your body temperature is the only way known to hide from this technique, this eye ability also takes up quite a bit of chakra, though Anko is a Jonin, so… she knows how to use it sparingly. Also, this technique is exclusive to the Hebi/Snake summon clan.

Bloodsucker (Beta name for the technique, any other names, let me know) – As the technique implies, you suck the blood out of your opponents, though in the case of allies, suck out poisons/infected blood to help them recover. Exclusive to the Kaizo family and the Vampire Kitsune species.

Invisibility - Literally makes the caster invisible, removes any trace of their chakra and scent. The only drawback is that if you move roughly and lose concentration, you reappear. Your own footsteps could also be heard, so sound is another viable risk for being spotted. If you get touched by someone else as well, your invisibility ends.

The Teams:

Team Seven – Naruto Okami-Kitsune, Kinua Kaizo and Hikari Uzumaki-Namikaze (Sensei: Anko Mitarashi)

Team Eight – Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Sasuke Uchiha (Sensei: Kakashi Hatake)

Team Ten – Shikamaru Nara, Yozu Tsuyoi and Ichigo Kitana (Sensei: Yugao Uzuki)

Team Eleven – Sakura Haruno, Choji Akimichi and Shino Aburame (Sensei: Kurenai Yuhi)

Team Twelve – Taida Kan, Ino Yamanaka and Tereki Shisu (Sensei: Asuma Sarutobi)

Team Thirteen – Kana Misuami [Solo for Now] (Sensei: Hayate Gekko)

Anyways, time for the reviews!

Review Corner:

raelaria1: NoX is literally my childhood game, sad that it has died out. Wish there was a section for it on here, but there is not.

End of Review Corner

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all in the next one!

Ja Ne!

Flames will be ignored

Ideas for this story are appreciated

A critical/constructive review for this story would be nice, so I could improve my writing

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Read on people!