The prior two months had been nonstop for Uzumaki Naruto.

After the death of Mizuki, the blonde-turned-redhead fell into a week-long coma. His body rejected all foreign chakra and seemed as though it were restructuring itself. Even now, in his next month of training with Uzuki Yūgao-sensei, his muscles were denser than others and it seemed like it was more difficult to damage him. Before the incident, he could outlast most save for a few due, in part, to him being a walking battery of near-boundless chakra. Now, he had to use at least a few hundred shadow clones to help rid himself of the extra energy.

When he woke from the minor coma, he was surprised by the number of people that were in the hospital room. Two Anbu -one with a cat mask, the other with a dog mask- along with Iruka, Kiba, and Akamaru, Inuzuka Hana, Inuzuka Tsume. Kiba had been his best friend since the start. It started as an incident wherein he lost Akamaru and Naruto helped him. Since then, he has been a friend to the Inuzuka. A seemingly small gesture, but those that knew the Inuzuka clan knew that the loss of one's ninken was like losing one's life partner. There were times that Tsume would go shopping for him, or that Hana would help him with the theory of his lessons.

The two Anbu, which Naruto had always seen due to his odd chakra sensing ability were always around him, watching and protecting him from the shadows. Iruka had taken a chance to get to know the real Naruto. The Sandaime loved him as though he were another grandson. But still, it shocked the boy.

The former blonde was introduced to his new sensei, the Anbu he nicknamed Neko-nee. In a gesture of honesty, Naruto reached into his bloodied jacket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. It was stained crimson. On it was the jutsu from the Forbidden Scroll, jutsu that weren't just forbidden but were also stolen from other villages, such as the Hiding in Frost technique. Sarutobi Hiruzen let the boy keep the jutsu and promised to give him a few more as payment for stopping the traitor. In addition to the Ryo, of course. Naruto followed his sensei to the Tenth Training Ground later on. He was tested for his elemental affinity. Needless to say, he and his sensei were shocked to learn that he had an affinity for all five chakra natures. This resulted in a trip to the jutsu vault in the library.

Yūgao-nee-sensei required him to get two scrolls for each chakra nature. When he only got one for lightning release, she figured it was because he copied on from the scroll. He did. One that was made famous by the former and current Raikage. When he decided to get two genjutsu scrolls, the sensor-nin wasn't surprised. She had felt the difference in his chakra. While comatose, it was as if it stabilized. What was once a raging whirlpool that lay within the outer edges of a hurricane was now a serene lake whose depths were fathomless. It was all-encompassing and warm, but it was all the heavier, and should his emotions change, it would become a cold, choking thing.

From there, she began to train him. From stealth and tactics to taijutsu and kenjutsu, from traps and poisons to information gathering and the like. It was then that she learned that his change hadn't just been physical. Gone was the little loudmouth brat that yelled to be heard. Gone was the little Naruto that she had been tasked with guarding. In his place was a jaded young man. It was understandable. He had died. And he had trusted Mizuki. He was taciturn, speaking only if he needed to. Yūgao decided to ask the Sandaime if she could teach him Anbu Sign Language. He took to it immediately.

She had also learned a great deal about her student's eyes. Apparently, the stress of the situation had awakened a dōjutsu that had little to no information on it. As it was, they knew that he had the ability to pull the soul from one's body. He could see chakra and its flow within the body, though it was limited in the sense that he couldn't see through obstructions, like smoke. But he could see the otherwise invisible barriers created by some jutsu. The eyes made it easier to master any jutsu, but he refused to rely solely on his eyes. He would still work hard to master the jutsu in his own way. His mind named what he did to Mizuki the Human Path. Through training, he found his Deva and Preta Paths. Through the Deva Path, he found that he could attract and repel objects, while he was able to absorb chakra through the Preta Path. He learned that he could create Black Receivers; odd black bars that could store and absorb chakra, as well as connect him with another.

By the end of this month, he had already had his first kill. Shockingly, he hadn't vomited or seemed to suffer any mental effects. Yūgao had not been surprised. The next month had seen much more improvement in the redhead's kenjutsu techniques. His stealth grew to an Anbu level and his traps were terrifying. In two short months, the Anbu's protege had become a real threat. Still, more threatening was his fighting style; a bizarre mashup of ninja wire produced by his Nuibari, acrobatics, and his newfound flexibility, kenjutsu, and ninjutsu. It was interesting to see him spar with his sensei, the way he would seemingly float among the trees before bounding on an almost invisible thread.

Naruto walked the streets of Konoha, his mind on the training he would undertake today. It was no secret that he was perhaps the deadliest genin in Konoha at the moment, but there would be room for improvement in all areas. Yugao-sensei taught him that; even anbu trained tirelessly. Tired of the fearful eyes watching him as he meandered to the Tenth Training Ground, he found himself wondering why they were suddenly afraid of him. Maybe it was the change in appearance? He did look significantly different than they were accustomed to, but he was the only person they all knew that had his unique whiskers - which thickened greatly, having become more detailed. His crimson and obsidian hair, once a blonde that outshone the sun and denoted his innocence, was shaggy. All in all, he appeared feral. His eyes, an odd blue, and purple were far different than anyone was used to.

Before he could take another step, he found his path blocked by a girl. Her brown hair was styled into twin buns that rested on either side of her head. Her bright brown eyes stared lustfully at his blade. That alone creeped Naruto out, nevermind the girl's complete disregard of the concept of personal space. She walked around him, her eyes never leaving Nuibari. Naruto felt as though he'd been put on display. He didn't like it.

"Can I help you?"

The brown-eyed girl stopped in front of him and stared into his eyes. "How did you get the Nuibari? You don't look like much."

The discomfort was immediately replaced by anger and irritation. His heterochromatic eyes flashed crimson before returning to their respective colors. That made the girl take a step back. But whether or not it was in fear or trepidation, Naruto couldn't tell. He didn't care.

"Am I supposed to care about your opinion?" Naruto growled. "Because I don't."

He pushed past her, but she caught him by the wrist. Almost instantly, she felt a feather-light sensation brush across her throat. Tenten moved her eyes down and was surprised to see ninja wire wrapped around her wrist and leading up to her neck. It was a warning.

"Don't touch me," Naruto warned, his voice low and threatening. "I don't know you."

He released her from his impromptu spider-web of thread and vanished into the crowd. She followed him, keeping her deep brown eyes on the lookout for red hair. She couldn't find any. In a way that should have been the easiest thing in the world; the boy with the weird eyes was the only one in the village with hair that color. But it was as though he literally vanished.

Tenten stopped in her tracks with a smile curving her lips. Her chance to claim one of those special swords from Kirigakure was at her fingertips. All she needed to do was wrest it from him, it would be one of the easiest things she had ever done. A thrill raced through her at the thought. Her smile firmly in place, she turned on her heel and made her way to her team's meeting place.

At the same time, Naruto watched the strange girl from a nearby rooftop. That was a rather pathetic chase; she gave up when he melted into the crowd. Were they not shinobi? Even before he became one, during his prankster days, the more experienced shinobi at least gave him a challenge. That didn't mean anyone besides Iruka ever caught him, but it was at least thrilling. Unfulfilled, the former blonde was about to continue his journey but found himself surrounded. His assailants were not visible, but he could sense their chakra signatures. It was like standing in the center of an array of lit candles. The little flames that resembled chakra didn't move, not even to flicker and dance. It meant the owners had a rather off-putting amount of chakra control. That or they had no emotions.

Without giving away the game, Naruto raced towards the Tenth Training Grounds intending to get whoever was following him to spill their guts - one way or another. The chakra signatures continued to follow him. Subtly, the blonde-turned-redhead increased his speed and he'd noticed them do the same. After a few more minutes, he made it and had to smile when he noticed those chakra signatures disperse, hiding among the trees. But before he got this potential bloodbath started, he took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the training ground.

It was a wild field of grass, framed by united bushes. A handful of chunky trees stood near the left edge, their leaves offering homes and shelter to an array of creatures. Fighting for their own place in the training ground, and were thankfully helped by human hands, smaller flower bushes acted as a pit stop for bees. The bushes reach one-and-a-half meter tall, which only happened when they were well cared for. Wooden posts stood by a bubbling stream that supplied clean water to the place that looked more like a utopia than anything. Grass and roots continually try to claim parts of this place, growing and expanding wherever they can.

The trees, mahogany trees, have stood there for countless years; perhaps even long before a time known as the Warring States Era. They were definitely the main attraction of the training area, if only because of the wildlife within them. The smaller flower bushes definitely try to claim part of the glory for themselves, and the bushes made sure they were paid attention to as well, but the rest will always be eclipsed by those mahogany trees.

After a couple of seconds of taking in the splendor of this place, Naruto turned around with an utterly disturbing grin on his face. His rinnegan flared to life as he reached for his Nuibari. The still chakra signatures maneuvered closer, the owners remaining out of sight. Their dossiers had to have been outdated. Naruto counted some six shinobi. His eyes narrowed in concentration. He formed a single hand seal and felt his eerie grin become a sinister smile. His favoring of this particular place had come from one of his favorite jutsu; the stream provided a nice source of water, reducing the amount of chakra needed for this technique.

"Ninja Art: Hiding in Frost Technique," The temperature fell below the freezing point, and it took all of their training for his assailants to not shiver. Because of the temperature change, the ambient water vapor began to freeze, forming a visually clouding frost. Naruto himself became an unreal phantasm - a dream within a dream.

He moved with a silence that went beyond shinobi training. Naruto descended upon his first victim as if he was a wraith. Nuibari slid through the masked shinobi's chest cavity with no resistance. He knew these weren't Anbu - this one wore a black robe and a strange mask, one that was different. He took the mask from the shinobi and clipped it to his waist. Staring up at him with blank eyes, he took note of the rather attractive woman that, despite a river of blood going down her mouth, didn't betray any hint of pain or emotion. He pierced her once more, mere centimeters below her heart, to leave her stitched to the tree. Afterward, he vanished again.

Naruto picked off the seemingly emotionless shinobi one by one, taking their masks and in the case of the young man apparently named Sai, taking his soul, techniques, and memories. While his techniques were rather interesting, his memories left a lot to be desired. Naruto could identify plenty of hidden entrances to the Foundation as well as the other members, some of which he'd seen close to the Hokage. But most of Sai's memories were blank and it seemed as though a lot of his brainpower went to trying to remember something, or rather someone. A brother, perhaps?

Putting that aside, Naruto returned to the still subdued woman after setting the bodies alight with flame. They weren't that good, now that he thought about it. The fight, if one could call it that with a straight face, was more him assassinating the remaining five shinobi as they moved into one of the formations Yugao-nee-sensei taught him; one that was supposed to give the advantage while in low visibility situations. It didn't help them.

The woman, designated as Tsuchinoe according to Sai's memories, had purple hair that fell to her shoulders. Her mask, the first of his collection, was designed like some kind of bear with a quite distinguishing scar going from its left eye hole down the cheek. Naruto's dojutsu deactivated.

"You were assigned to subdue me by Shimura Danzo. Why?"

Tsuchinoe eyed him blankly. When she did not answer, Naruto didn't ask another question and the would-be interrogation became a staring contest. Tsuchinoe blinked first and turned to look at the bonfire that had once been the living bodies of her comrades. They all underestimated him. It would seem that Danzo-sama had been quite wrong as well.

"I am not allowed to speak of the mission," said Tsuchinoe, but her brow furrowed in sheer confusion. She hadn't spoken. Or at the very least, she hadn't meant to speak.

"Why are you not allowed to speak of the mission?"

"There is a seal on the back of my tongue that prevents my speaking of things I should not be speaking of," She did it again! Why were her lips moving when she had every intention of holding her silence? It doesn't make any sense.

"I see," Naruto said, his eyes once again transforming into the concentric pattern of his dojutsu. "You have been a big help, Tsuchinoe. But now, I'm going to rip the information from your mind."

"I cannot allow you to do that," said the woman blankly, giving up on remaining silent.

Naruto snorted a laugh, something he had done in a while. "Yeah? Well, your consent was neither necessary nor required."

His right hand shot out and gripped the top of her soul, squeezing mercilessly. He had been experimenting with his Human Path and found that he could render someone unconscious. But the process was one that brought mind-shattering pain. Not that he minded; he never felt it.

The world seemed to spin around Tschinoe as a sharp, throbbing pain took hold of her, so much so that all she wanted to do was vomit and hope the pain would come out with it. The frost had long since dissipated, but cold shivers shot through her body causing both her arms and legs to begin trembling afresh. She paused for a moment and took a deep breath. Perhaps if she could shift her focus away from the pain it would be easier to manage.

Tried as she might, it seemed impossible to relax completely. Tsuchinoe was unable to shift her focus and block the pain out completely. Maybe giving up was the right choice. 'Always listen to your body,' was something her late mother had often said. Was the pain so great that she had a fleeting thought of a mother she buried all that time ago? It was blinding. Her legs went numb as a darkness crept into her vision, replacing the spots that spawned. Perhaps she was right.

The woman slumped over, the realm of Morpheus claiming her without a second thought. He knew why Danzo wanted him; he had the rinnegan, but the why still eluded him. It couldn't just be because he had a rinnegan - there was a deeper reason. Well, the old man just had to go and pull an annoying stunt like this. A quick water jutsu snuffed out the greedy flames and a wind jutsu sent all of the ashes dancing away. With quick bursts of his chakra, he snapped the threads keeping Tsuchinoe bound and he vanished with a single destination in mind.

When the blonde-turned-redhead reappeared in the Hokage's office, he was met by Team 8 and his own sensei with the Sandaime looking at him curiously. Akamaru barked a greeting and he inclined his head respectfully towards the canine. He did the same for his sensei and her friend, the rather gorgeous ruby-eyed genjutsu specialist. But he didn't stare like others might; he had business to attend.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun. I'd just sent an Anbu to retrieve you," smiled the Sandaime. It turned into a frown when his eyes landed on the unconscious woman being held by the front of her robes. "Who is that?"

Naruto decided to answer that question with a question. "Do the names Sai and Tsuchinoe mean anything to you? Or these masks perchance?"

Unceremoniously releasing his hold on the woman's robe, her head landed against the floor with a dull thud. He unclipped the six masks from his waist and set them on the Hokage's desk. All the while, the other five in the room watched with curious eyes and the Sandaime looked over the masks with a critical eye. Eventually he shook his head.

"Where did you get these?" he asked.

Naruto pointed at the unconscious woman next to him. "Six of them came after me. I could sense them, but I don't think they knew. In any case, they're ashes by now. They didn't put up any kind of fight."

All eyes stared at Naruto, as the redhead himself stared at Tscuhinoe. Kurenai spoke first, effectively breaking the silence. "You killed them?"

"I had one hell of a teacher," he said noncommittally. "In any case, I'll show Inoichi my memories at a later date. I'm guessing you needed me for a mission."

"Ah, yes. You will be accompanying Team Eight on a mission to the Land of Waves. It has come to my attention that Team Seven has gotten in over their heads and are requesting back up. You are to leave immediately."

Team Eight and Team Yugao nodded once.

"Dismissed,"