A/N: What do you mean I own nothing? As if that would stop me, 'ttebayo!
Naruto had not slept well. The rush of adrenaline and the satisfaction of a prank well done had dissipated sooner than later and the happiness of having hung out with Konohamaru had disappeared someplace else, Naruto had no idea where exactly. The blond had tossed and turned in his bed, sleep eluding him. He had not been that nervous since three years ago when he had first attempted the graduation exam of the Academy. Maybe it had to do with the fact he had not been wearing his trusty nightcap, as it was in the "keep" box which had been taken.
He had been relieved when his alarm clock had rung quarter to four. The hyper blond boy had jumped out of his bed, heart beating faster than a hummingbird would flap its wings, and had taken a very long shower, using every last dredge of hot water he could. The nervousness had receded but hadn't left him.
The blond boy dressed in the same clothes he had worn the day before: a green, short-sleeved shirt, and beige shorts. He wondered for a second what to do with his pajamas but ultimately shrugged. They were only pajamas after all.
The last three minutes he had to wait nearly drove him crazy and Naruto exhaled a relieved sigh when someone knocked on his door. The blond promptly scrambled to his hallway and opened the wooden panel. In the frame stood a single eagle-masked ANBU.
"Follow me, Uzumaki-san. Close the door and leave the keys on it. All will be taken care of," drawled the cloaked figure, its voice distinctly male despite the distortion effect.
Naruto nodded briefly, threw one last glance at a place he honestly did not know what to think about and exited the apartment before closing the door. Feelings mixed and churned in an unholy mess in his stomach. The blond was torn between the hope of never seeing this flat ever again and a weird nostalgia. He hadn't had only unpleasant experiences living here. It was terribly lonely most of the time, yes, but it was here Naruto had planed his best pranks, "studied" perverted magazines with Ichiro Sarutobi, eaten tons of cupped ramen with Konohamaru, and done hundreds of others things.
It was here he had toiled like mad on jutsu theory and fuinjutsu, creating some of his best traps and supplementary pranking materials. It was here he had metaphorically demolished his wrist after perfecting his calligraphy for hours on end.
"Bye," whispered the blond before he turned his back resolutely.
"Ready?"
"Hai, ANBU-san."
"Good, follow."
Naruto in tow, the ANBU led the blond through Konoha. The boy took a deep breath in as he followed the cloaked man. Dawn was not exactly here yet, the eastern dark night sky slowly changing to a lighter blue, the air was crisp and the streets were silent. The only signs of activity were teams of chunin and older genin patrolling the quiet city, jumping stealthily and silently from roof to roof.
The only reason Naruto even knew they were here was the fact they were the only things moving, the speedy jumps and motions catching his attention.
The blond relished in the feeling of peace. He was rarely up and out at this hour, primarily because no one in their right mind would wake up this early in the morning. He was a ninja now though and he would probably get his fair share of nightly patrol and sleep deprived night.
For a second, a buried part of the blond's mind considered removing his headband and fleeing back to his rundown apartment. Sleep was a sacred thing after all. The fleeting thought was gone before Naruto could realize he had even had it.
The ANBU and Naruto navigated the labyrinthine layout of Konoha in the direction of the Hokage Monument. The hidden village was built in the large, forested valley of the Naka river, a valley that was delimited by rocky plateaux of ochre color. Konoha was backed against one of those plateaux and the cliff sported the sculpted faces of all four Hokage. Hopefully, many more hieratic visages would be carved from the rock and add to the splendor of what civilians and ninjas alike called the "Hokage Monument."
The two lone figure kept walking for fifteen minutes at the same fast pace and they found themselves before the cliff in front of a narrow staircase that slithered all the way up the plateau. Naruto was familiar with the stairs, having used the many steps several times in his twelve years of life, be it for a prank or simply to daydream on the Fourth's head.
The ANBU began to ascend the stairs and Naruto followed. The blond knew where one casern of the corps was located; he had executed one of his best prank there (ANBU in clown masks were hilarious and weirdly threatening) but they were not going there. Which was logical if the test had anything to do with demonstrating tai- and ninjutsu. They would need some kind of training ground.
They were midway through the climb when the ANBU took a turn and started following a small trail that went along the cliff. Toward one of the little shacks built directly on the rocky side of the plateau. Naruto felt excitement bubble within his chest and replace his anxiety; he had never been to one of those shacks, they were always closed. As in, there was no outside door to access whatever was inside.
The two stopped in front of the shack, built under the chin of the Nidaime's head. The ANBU sped through hand-signs too fast for Naruto to see and in front of the amazed blond's eyes, a seal shone for a second before a door appeared in the wall. A fuinjutsu to seal the entrance so completely, uninvited people could not even see it. Naruto grinned as his mind tried to visualize how such a seal could work before the eagle-masked man called him.
"Enter, Uzumaki-san."
Naruto started and silently berated himself for being distracted at such a moment. The blond took a deep breath. His momentary fuinjutsu-induced trance had calmed his nerves a little so the boy entered the cabin before anxiety or panic could surge back again.
The inside of the cabin was small, empty, and overall disappointing. The blond whirled around when the door behind him closed. The only source of light was the meager light of a shy dawn filtering through two little windows. In other words, it was as dark as the darkest night.
The blond waited a few moments for either someone to come or his eyes to adapt. His vision started to get clearer and clearer, using the barest light to make out basically nothing. The cabin was an empty rectangle, with two tiny windows offering a view over Konoha and the back wall plunged into darkness.
Naruto gulped and his mind started to work out strange forms in the shadows. His ears were keenly aware of the heavy, muffled silence that reigned king and his own breathing sounded like a forge's bellow. There wasn't even one insect singing, only deafening quiet. The blond wondered if he was the victim of one very elaborate and completely unfair prank. He had not deserved that!
"Anyone here?" Naruto asked suddenly, his voice dying quickly in the darkness.
Doing his best to ignore his rising nerves, the boy turned around and away from the back wall and his eyes searched the windows. Tiptoeing to get a better view, the blond did his best to look at Konoha. Sprawled before him was the still sleeping city, some rare lights popping up here and there; probably bakers and such profession that required to wake early.
His hands blindly searching the wall for purchase eventually felt a protrusion. Something was jutting out of the wall, a small bowl-like shape made of rock. Inside the bowl was a solid but rather fragile substance Naruto knew but could not identify. Tentatively, the blond broke some matter off the unknown object and smelled it.
It had a vague honey scent.
Warily, the boy put a tiny amount of matter on his tongue. It had an awfully soggy feel to it but tasted very vaguely like sugar and flower. Seeing as he wasn't dead yet, the boy took another taste of the stuff. It was familiar and was definitely linked to honey but he could remember what it was.
That's when the light went on. It was a candle, obviously.
Naruto smiled. He wasn't proficient at it but the Academy did teach its students a very easy, low power fire jutsu. Naruto had had difficulty learning it much to his chagrin, as most students had taken to it easily, but could do it without problems nowadays.
The blond mixed his energies into chakra and molded some into a tiger seal. Moving the altered power to his throat, the blond took a large gulp of air, not actually breathing it completely, and blew. The chakra mixed with the oxygen and a tongue of fire, narrow and focused, escaped Naruto's mouth and crashed on the candle, it's wick easily catching fire.
The little flame shuddered and flickered but it illuminated a text Naruto could not have seen without it. It was carved on the edge of the niche supporting the candle.
"The shadow is where we serve," read the blond aloud.
Slowly, Naruto turned around and faced the back wall again. It was still plunged into darkness. The blond gulped. Suddenly, the fact now one in Konoha would ever recognize his service became a very concrete, tangible reality. Naruto turned again and watched the village again. If he took the step toward whatever was behind the back wall, he would never gain their recognition. He would toil, sweat, bleed, and maybe die without ever getting the appreciation he deserved.
Dragon's promises rang in his head. Dedicated instructors. A team that would be family. A mask to hide from the glares.
Who cared if the glares ever changed anyway? Pff, not him, 'ttebayo! Naruto had already concluded he could not force it in the end. Rather than chasing after something that was ultimately out of his control, wasn't it more intelligent to choose a path where conscious efforts would doubtlessly yield recognition?
Taking a deep breath, Naruto whirled around and faced the back of the little cabin, his heart going haywire. The pale light of the candle wasn't enough to pierce the all-engulfing darkness. The blond took a step, then a second, his resolution spiking and his heartbeat calming down. His mind was made. The boy disappeared into the strangely welcoming shadows. His hands raised in front of him in order to detect possible obstacles, the blond eventually felt the cold touch of rock.
Naruto tentatively pushed his palm against the stone wall when something pulsed and the boy stumbled forward, falling through the wall as if it were not even here to begin with.
"I commend your determination, young man," greeted the distinctly gruff, distorted voice of Dragon. "By choosing the darkness, you made your first step toward ANBU."
The blond nodded with enthusiasm. An enthusiasm that died at the cloaked shadow's next words.
"Now welcome to hell, Uzumaki."
"You called for me, Hokage-sama?" Iruka Umino asked, standing at attention before the desk of his leader. Iruka did know the Hokage's day started early but he had no idea it was before five in the morning kind of early. It was frankly not a time for a man, ninja or not, to be up. The chunin had been dragged off his bed by two ANBUs who had stated his presence was required at the Tower "immediately".
"Yes indeed, Umino-san. Take a seat please." The Hokage answered with a good-natured smile.
The chunin complied and took the offered seat. The brown-haired man looked up at the wizened old man. The face of Sarutobi Hiruzen was wrinkled, especially around his eyes. His small, acute, all-seeing, cunning grey eyes which shone with a rare kind of intelligence. The Hokage had a small beard covering his chin, that masked a scar. Who had given the scar varied in accordance with the old man's mood. It was this "damned Onoki with his jinton" in the rare instance the Hokage was actually angry and various other no-names when all was good.
"What may I do for you Hokage-sama?" The younger man asked eventually, curious as to the reason he was summoned. He was nervous as well; this early in the morning was not a time for normal affairs.
The old man took his trusted pipe and stuffed it with a generous amount of tobacco with practiced motions. Taking his time, Hiruzen took a whiff of the scented dried leaves before placing the end of the pipe in-between his lips. A snap of his fingers later and the tobacco had magically caught on fire. The Hokage took a long drag off of his smoking device and exhaled smoke. Smacking his tongue in satisfaction, the man looked at the chunin.
"How was your recovery, Umino-san?"
The man started a little and his eyes widened slightly but he answered nonetheless. It was weird for a Kage to inquire about the health of one single soldier, especially when the best hospital in the entire Fire Country was undoubtedly the Senju General Hospices, but the Sandaime was like that. Iruka had no illusion about it; the kindly old man facade was a charade and a well practiced one yet maybe a little part of it was genuine.
"I'm fine Hokage-sama, thank you. The Iryo-nin were very diligent. At the end of the week, everything will be good as new."
The old man nodded. "Good, good. Now Umino-san, I did not call you only to inquire about your health even it is quite important. I wanted to discuss the potential teams built by the sorting officers."
Iruka nodded. This was not unusual, if slightly surprising. The files the Academy provided on the graduated genin were enough more often than not. "What do you wish to know, Hokage-sama?"
"Well, as Naruto is not a member of the regular rooster-"
Iruka nodded. He had been informed that, while the blond had been promoted according to his recommendation, the boy was to serve for a year in the Tower as punishment for his stupid stunt. One did not steal the Forbidden Scroll without feeling some repercussion after all.
"-I was wondering what were your thoughts on the teams?"
"Permission to talk honestly, Hokage-sama?"
"Granted."
"I fear the sorting these last few years has been done with over-specialization in mind, which could prove fatal. There is one shining example of a team that was recently built with one primary goal in mind without neglecting other aspects of shinobi mission."
"I believe you're talking about team Gai."
"Yes, Hokage-sama. While Neji's taijutsu is fearsome, his eyes make him quite the tracker. Lee is a pure taijutsu beast that has even Neji beat in this department, even if he doesn't realize himself. And Tenten acts as long range support and learned some powerful genjutsu. Combined with her two teammates' taijutsu, it is an excellent capture combo. Overall, team Gai has shown better results than other too specialized teams created up to two years before."
"And you believe we should keep exploring this avenue." It was not a question and Iruka simply nodded.
"Then how would you suggest we do that?"
"While the Ino-Shika-Cho trio is a tradition and useful for capturing targets in open combat, we cannot deny that it is a formation that suffered heavy losses through the years. Mainly from ambush. I won't ever be the one saying the Nara aren't bright but even they can fall into traps and even their intellect cannot save them from that. An Akimichi should be paired with either a Yamanaka or a Nara but not both."
"We, of course, reached the same conclusion long ago. The formation is a matter of clan pride and honor."
Iruka nodded. "Of course, Hokage-sama, but Nidaime-sama once said-"
"That honor has a place and time and it is never the battlefield," interrupted the Hokage with a smile.
The chunin smiled. Of course, the Sandaime would know the adages of his very own sensei. "I do not have much hope that the formation could be modified yet it would open interesting alternatives." The brown-haired teacher offered.
"Such as?"
The chunin scratched his chin lightly. "First, I'd say Sasuke Uchiha, Kiba Inuzuka, and Hinata Hyuga. Solid as a tracking team, it would also be a fearsome close combat formation and could capture people without a problem. Between the hypnotic capacity of Sasuke's potential Sharingan and Hinata's near perfect control and her disabling strikes, they'd have the choice."
The teacher took a deep breath. "I would then place Ino Yamanaka with Aburame Shino and someone proficient with tai- and ninjutsu; maybe someone from another graduating class. Shino is a fearsome tactician and can already use many kikai assisted ninjutsu, while Ino knows of the Yamanaka clan's mind-related abilities." He explained. It was also crucial for Ino to be nowhere near the Uchiha, for both their security.
"And who would you partner the Nara and Akimichi heirs?"
"With each other of course, as well as Sakura Haruno. She is part of the top three kunoichis of this year and has a bright mind to her and a wide range of knowledge. Good chakra control, the memory of an elephant, and a certain willingness to learn," informed the chunin immediately. "When she does not fawn over her crush," he added silently.
The Hokage nodded and smirked. "I can guess, by the look in your eyes, that you also took into account the psychology of your charges." The old man said in an appreciating tone.
The chunin blushed very lightly at the praise -Flame he hadn't been in the field too long if a simple compliment could make him go red- and rubbed his scar distractedly. "Ah ah, well, yes. Let's say we weren't able to break some of them out of their… Peculiar habits."
The Hokage nodded and puffed at his pipe. "Now let's say that if Naruto had not graduated in such… Exceptional circumstances, my officers recommended teaming him with young Sasuke and Sakura…"
The old man let his question be unsaid. The white face of Iruka was telling enough.
"You do not think it would have been a good idea.
The chunin hesitated. "Permission to speak bluntly, Hokage-sama."
The Hokage raised an eyebrow but did not react other than that. "Permission to speak bluntly" was certainly not a standard demand. Smiling lightly the old man granted it. "Speak."
"It would have been a fucking disaster, Hokage-sama, in complete contradiction to everything I included in their files. Sorry for the curse."
Hiruzen waved it off. "How so?"
Iruka winced, he would reveal personal things about children, to the Hokage yes but still. All was in the children's file anyway. "Sasuke has a superiority complex. While he would accept a clan heir doing well and after some time, even equalling him in certain areas, he would not tolerate anyone of a lower station to do so. I… Know Naruto has a lot of potential Hokage-sama. I know of his experiments with fuinjutsu and jutsu crafting. Even if the use he gives them is… Debatable, the sheer amount of both work and talent necessary to reach such results is undeniable. He could be Sasuke's equal, probably even surpass him, with proper guidance and once someone figures out why he has a chakra control problem." The chunin explained.
The Hokage nodded and silently gestured for the teacher to keep talking.
"Sakura does not lack potential either but she needs to remember why she enrolled in the Academy in the first place. She is ridiculously infatuated with the Uchiha, anyone can see that and I noted it in her file. If she is paired with Sasuke, she won't ever think for herself, following her crush rather than her brain and it will be the cause of a very early retirement."
Or even death, thought the chunin without saying it. The Hokage nodded once again and sucked on his pipe, making the tobacco sizzle.
"Interesting. You said you made those remarks in their file, Umino-san?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama. I actually added this kind of recommendation in many files, as mandated."
The older man hummed, smoke escaping from his nostrils and surrounding his face. "It'd seem parts of these files have been lost between the Academy and the Tower…"
Iruka's eyes widened at the implication. If someone had tampered with the data he had provided to the officers in charge of creating the new team, it was treason. The teachers at the Academy did not make the teams themselves; officers of the Jonin Bureau did, knowing which jonin was available and what were the needs in terms of operational teams. Yet, the files provided by the teachers were heavily relied on, specifically to avoid teaming together people who would only be at each other's throat. In-depth psychological profiling had been implemented after the Sannin team had nearly fallen apart when they were ten due to their constant bickering. Their legendary teamwork had actually come years after, when they all had matured into their late teens, early twenties.
Teamwork was central to Konoha's philosophy, yes. It did not change the fact that what grown-up adults could do, moody pre-teens could not. The mind was malleable in strange ways. You could teach someone to kill and they wouldn't bat an eye but ask them to reconcile with their mother-in-law and it's mission impossible.
If someone had tampered with the files, he could see why the sorting officers would gather Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura in one assault team. A lot of power plus somewhat of a blank slate to mold according to needs. But given the personalities involved, such a team would never exist before all three had matured.
"You do not know anything about that, do you, Umino-san?"
The chunin stood up and saluted. "I swear I do not Hokage-sama. However, if I'm under-"
"Sit down, Umino-san, sit down," calmed the old Kage. "You have already been cleared, the inquiry is running since a day already."
"Could it have been Mizuki's doing?" Iruka wondered aloud. After all, no one knew who the traitor was working for and what had been his plan. Yet, because Iruka did not doubt the terrifying head of T&I was currently very occupied with the white-haired ex-teacher.
"We do not know yet but it is a possibility. Tell me Umino-san, how did you perform at infiltration back in your field days?" The old Sarutobi asked, puffing on his pipe.
Iruka rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I was only mediocre I fear, Hokage-sama."
The man nodded. "Infiltration is not for everyone. I was terrible at it, so mediocre will do Umino-san," said the man with a small smile, making the chunin blush again at the de facto compliment. "I'd like you to ask your colleague a few discreet questions about possible tampering. I'll want a report every two weeks."
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
"Then you are free to go."
The chunin rose and saluted before he hesitantly lowered the hand on his heart. "Hm, Hokage-sama?"
"Yes, Umino-san?"
"If I may, why have I been cleared?"
"In fact, you weren't but the clear picture you gave me of your class without a second thought was enough proof. You were monitored by a Yamanaka the second you entered this room and your body language did not shift." The Kage answered, piercing the teacher with his cunning grey eyes.
Iruka paled, gulped, and saluted again. You did not teach an old monkey new tricks. "By your leave, Hokage-sama."
"Dismissed."
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe silently, mulling over what the chunin had just told him. When Dragon had come to request Naruto, the Hokage had not reacted immediately at the "your officers are out of their mind" jab from the cloaked ANBU. It had taken a few hours before Hiruzen had summoned Dragon to have the man tell him why he had said that exactly.
From his extensive surveillance and observation of Naruto, the ANBU had gathered without too much problem the same information as the teachers concerning the relationship between Naruto and his fellow students. Of course, only the blond had been Dragon's focus, so the ANBU general could not tell much more about other students but he had basically torn the proposed team seven apart, stating that it was completely ridiculous and that five minutes with a Yamanaka would prove it. Hiruzen had ordered the files delivered to the Jonin Bureau be handed to him and much to his and Dragon's horror, the profiling was miles from what it should apparently have been. And Iruka Umino had just confirmed it: an investigation was needed.
Sabotaging team formation was a terrible offense, as it needlessly endangered the genin by placing them in an unfavorable, unbalanced environment. Now the question was, whose doing was it? Teachers were screened extensively before being given a position. It was basically thought impossible to place a plant as a teacher because the background check T&I ran was thorough. If your great-grandfather had been somewhat shifty toward Konoha, you did not become a teacher.
The Hokage sighed. In their world obviously, nothing was impossible. Things could be made to be highly unlikely at best. Still, Hiruzen trusted the work of counter-spying because ultimately, it was way easier to corrupt someone than to plant a sleeping agent. Sleeping agents were expensive to train, could waste away for years, could be uncovered, could turn on their home village in favor of the one they were infiltrating. And so on, and so on. But give a man more money than he could dream of and some would doubtlessly betray their nation.
Konoha did pay its teachers rather awesomely and the background check also made sure there was no possible way of blackmailing anyone but bribes were still a possibility. Hiruzen crossed his fingers, hoped the traitor was Mizuki and signaled for an ANBU to appear.
"Go and have Ibiki here as soon as possible."
The ANBU nodded and saluted once before departing. Hiruzen could hope as much as he could but he knew better than that. The Hokage had lied to Iruka when he had told the chunin things were already being checked and he hoped it would not be too late to begin now.
Naruto looked around him for a second -he was in a barely lit semi-circular room with three corridors starting from it- before his eyes fell on the cloaked, dragon-masked figure. The blond could feel a weird pressure settled on his shoulder and his heart once again started to beat too fast as his mouth dried up. For the first time, the shadow was making the boy extremely uncomfortable and Naruto distractedly wiped the palm of his hand on his shirt, trying his best to get his renewed nervousness under control. The figure's presence was simply frightening.
"Dragon-sama," saluted the blond after an audible a gulp.
Naruto knew his usual attitude toward discipline would not be tolerated here. Or rather, his little finger was telling him testing the limits would be an awful idea and would end in an awful result.
"As I said, you made your first step toward ANBU." The shadow declared evenly in his distorted, genderless monotone. The figure fished for something within his cloak and held a round, featureless mask a second later in front of Naruto.
The blond observed the mask for a second and wondered why it was completely blank save for a kanji on its forehead. Naruto paled vaguely when he read it: endure.
"The second step, if you so wish to take it, is to don this mask. But I warn you. The moment you wear it, you will be absolutely forbidden to remove it without my express order or in the secrecy of your cell. No one but me may see you without it. If anyone else does, you will be immediately removed from here. Do I make myself clear?" Dragon explained, his voice taking a cutting edge.
Naruto nodded but the ANBU barked, startling the boy. "Do I make myself clear?!"
"Hai, Dragon-sama."
The cloaked shadow nodded. "Good. Once you don this mask, you will officially be considered as a recruit in training. Do you accept it, Uzumaki?"
The blond looked intently at the white, blank mask and gulped. It was a mask made so he would disappear behind. Naruto's thoughts swirled once again in a maelstrom of confusion, much to the blond's annoyance. Was all around awesomeness worth what the mask would do to him? Yes, he had already made his mind, he was too far in to back up! But it would ensure that he would never be allowed to show Sasuke up, never be able to win Sakura's affection. When the mask would come off, he would probably never be the same. Naruto's blue eyes hardened and he gritted his teeth. He had pursued all that for years and nothing had come from it. At least here, he had been promised teachings and comradery. He wanted that and why did he care if he had to disappear in the shadows to obtain it?
If those walking under the sun would not acknowledge him, maybe those lurking in the dark would possess better eyes and do so. It was only fair there was a price to be paid.
Naruto undid his headband, grabbed the face mask, and fit the straps around his head resolutely, tired to argue with himself.
"Welcome to ANBU, Recruit. I am general Dragon."
The blond did not start at the dismissal of his real name. He accepted it silently and nodded. He had just accepted to disappear after all. Naruto saluted as he was taught. "At your orders, general!"
Dragon observed the salute silently. It was sloppy and unpracticed but one could not expect much more from an orphaned genin straight out of the Academy. It would be drilled, like many other things.
"ANBU is a family that thrives in the night so that Konoha may see another day. We deal with threat a conventional force may not deal with. Much like a family, ANBU supports its members. But there is one difference with a traditional family," said Dragon in his monotone. "Can you guess what this difference is, Recruit?"
The blond thought for a second before answering. "I have to prove myself, general."
Dragon nodded. "Excellent thinking Recruit. ANBU is a family whose members deserve to be part of. They won their place. It is up to you to do the same." The cloaked shadow snapped his fingers and suddenly, three new shadows joined the figure.
"Recruit, this is team Rho. They will oversee your training and test you. They will be the harshest taskmasters you will ever encounter but they will be absolutely fair, that I can guarantee you. If they can accept you, then ANBU can as well." The general explained while motioning towards the three ANBU who had just appeared.
"Before I allow you to go Recruit, here is a riddle that was given to us by our founder, one each recruit must solve." Dragon continued, staring intently at the masked Naruto who felt himself sweat. "Love, or power? Reflect on this riddle, Recruit. Now go."
All three ANBU saluted and Naruto did a second later. "Hai, general!" They all chorused.
Dragon nodded once and departed in the rightmost corridor, leaving three seasoned ANBU and one little masked newbie for them to break. Naruto shuddered; he could feel all three shadows smiling behind their masks and they all were giving off more or less wicked vibes.
"Let us begin," said a distinctly male, monotonous voice as the tallest of the three ANBU approached Naruto. "What's your name."
The boy was ready to answer with a "Naruto Uzumaki 'ttebayo" but the orders of Dragon rang in his head and stopped him. Not only had the man made clear Naruto was not to remove his mask but the moment he had put his mask on, the ANBU general had ceased to call the blond "Uzumaki" and had immediately switched to "Recruit".
His identity was part of the mask. Naruto gulped. As long as he was wearing this mask, he was "Recruit".
"I apologize…" Naruto searched quickly for a sign that would give him the rank of the ANBU but he could find none of the classical one taught at the Academy. "Officer-san, but I'm not supposed to reveal my identity," said the boy, bowing.
The ANBU nodded. "You catch on quick," said the man while keeping his voice neutral. "Good. I've been told you know the shadow clones jutsu." Some curiosity bled into the man's voice but it wasn't much.
"Yes, I know it, officer-san."
"Do you know of the secret behind the technique?"
Naruto shook his head. He did not know of any secret. The ANBU was obviously not referencing to the fact the shadow clones were solid clones. "Is officer-san thinking about how it duplicates weapon as well?"
The ANBU said nothing for a second before he talked again. "No. Did you notice anything peculiar when you used shadow clones?"
The blond searched again. If the cloaked man was not referring to the ability to duplicate weapons then he was obviously thinking of…
"I get a headache when they dispel."
The man nodded. "That is because of the memory transfer process." Before Naruto could ask anything, the man continued. "When a shadow clone dispels, all remaining chakra alongside with what the clone has experienced returns to the user to be assimilated."
Naruto's eyes widened behind his mask as his brain worked out the implications of what the man had just said. "You want me to train in many things at the same time?" The blond asked, forgetting the "officer-san" in his mounting excitement.
"Yes. We will begin slowly with no more than four clones at a time. The experience feedback can be extremely dangerous for the brain, hence the headaches. Meditation should make the process smoother and easier and allow for more clones to be used but we will work on that."
Naruto nodded eagerly, crossed his fingers in the special seal, and pushed chakra through it to mold the energy. "Shadow Clones Jutsu!"
In a poof of smoke, four blank-masked blond boys appeared around the original, making the man nod.
"Two will go with Cat here, one with Dog, and the real you and the last clone will personally go with me. I'm Tiger and I'm sergeant of team Ro and its leader."
"Hai, sir!" chorused all five Naruto before they broke off to stand beside the ANBU they had been assigned to.
Without further ado, Dod led their clone to the left, Cat to the right, and Naruto and his copy stood behind the tiger-masked man. The ANBU turned towards the two boys and spoke.
"Whatever happens, do not use your chakra."
Soon, Naruto's breath shortened and his legs started to burn slightly. The corridor was unending, curving slightly to the right and relatively sharply upward, making it like climbing a hill. Now, the blond was no pushover in terms of stamina and speed and the ANBU leading him was not going fast but somehow, Naruto was getting tired. For someone used to lead chunin by the nose through Konoha in a mad chase, it was unacceptable. The boy gritted his teeth and kept the pace.
Time passed and Naruto started to sweat. It felt like he was carrying some sort of weights on his shoulders. His breath was ragged at this points and his legs seriously hurt; he had definitely walked for hours. And frankly, his perception of time was shot so the blond did not dismiss the thought as impossible. The corridor did not seem like it wanted to end and the climb was becoming harder and harder. The blond had been tempted to use his chakra to alleviate the effort but Tiger had expressly forbidden him to do so. The boy frowned, gritted his teeth, and walked on. It was a test and he would pass it, dattebayo!
After what felt like hours, his copy had dispelled, Naruto was utterly exhausted but Tiger and he had finally reached a door. Tiger opened the panel and motioned for the blond to follow.
Slowly, Naruto and Tiger exited the hellishly long corridor and stepped outside, to the surprise the boy. He had felt the climb of course but had not expected to end up completely out of the mountain in the middle of trees. Naruto took a deep breath and felt the strange weight leaving his shoulder. He then whistled lowly. He had entered, so to speak, the Hokage Monument at a third of its height and he was now outside after walking up a ramp, probably somewhere on the plateau overlooking Konoha. Given the size of the cliff, it had been quite the distance.
"You just climbed up what we call the "Warmer" here in ANBU," said Tiger suddenly, startling Naruto. "It's approximately fourteen miles long and it took us three hours and a half to climb it at the pace I imposed. The reason it was hard was not only because of the slope but because a fuinjutsu makes it so. You will run it each morning to build up endurance. Your end goal is to travel it in less than an hour."
The blond reigned in his sputtering indignation at the thought of running a fourteen miles, fuinjutsu-tampered climb in an hour. ANBU were supposed to be the best after all and there was always chakra.
"Just like today, you won't actively use any chakra of course," completed Tiger at this exact moment.
Naruto's brain froze. Chakra was always being subconsciously melded and pumped through the coils of a person. Chakra was the life force that coursed through all living things and as such, it was always present. Ninja simply learned to actively draw on it to use it. One such use was to enhance muscles momentarily for a boost of speed and strength. Running the endless corridor in an hour without actively pumping chakra in his legs seemed impossible. Naruto's brain started up again as he reached this conclusion and his tongue rebelled.
"What?! But that's bullshit!"
Something hit Naruto faster than he could blink and the masked blond found himself on the ground, his chest burning from a heavy strike.
"You will reign your emotions in. I will tolerate no outburst such as this while you train. Those will be reserved for your downtime. Am I clear?" The ANBU asked with his unnerving monotone.
Naruto frowned behind his mask but nodded as he took a deep breath in. "Hai sergeant."
"Good. I said running the Warmer in an hour was an end goal, not something you are supposed to do by tomorrow. ANBU requires determination. If you do not possess it Recruit, leave now."
Naruto's fist clenched and the blond frowned again. If there was something Naruto Uzumaki was excellent at, it was being determined, 'ttebayo! The masked boy nodded. "Understood sergeant."
"Good, now get up."
Naruto obeyed and fell in behind his instructor, who closed the door, made some hand signs that made it disappear in the rock it was carved into, and motioned Naruto to start walking again. The distance they covered was short this time and they entered a training ground. It had a very small pond on one side, where two ANBU were furiously fighting under the gaze of a third one, human-shaped targets that seemed to move randomly that a lone operator was pelting with shuriken, and six armored and articulated dummies, two of which were being pummeled by two others ANBU. There was a rather big cabin on the right side of the training ground.
"This is training ground three, its use is reserved to the third company. You may only use this training ground. ANBU has other facilities for special training but for all-purpose exercises, everything will happen here." The "understood?" was left unsaid.
Naruto nodded.
"When a recruit is admitted in ANBU, their training is done again from the ground. Most are experienced ninjas, however, which certainly advantage them. You will be held in the same regard as any recruit apart from special training to even out your own lack of field experience."
Naruto nodded and breath out silently. He would not have it any other way.
"Now Recruit, can you tell me what is the most important thing for a soldier to possess?"
The boy started at the sudden question. Replaying the question Tiger had just asked, Naruto's eyes widened silently. The man had not asked about ninjas but about soldiers. The response he was waiting for was not something specific to ninja then. It wasn't strength, as the answer was too obvious and too generic. Physical strength wasn't much of an answer either as various techniques could overcome it. Which outed speed of the equation.
"Techniques?" The boy asked, unsure.
"In ANBU, we do not answer the question of a superior officer by another question. We either give a reason or we admit to our ignorance," answered Tiger in his monotone.
Naruto gulped. "Technique. With the appropriate technique, you can face any threat." The blond proposed before grimacing as the ANBU shook his head.
"Incorrect. The most important thing for a soldier is his endurance." Tiger started to say, his right hand held up in a v-sign. "He needs to be able to endure slow, long term assignments as well as intense, short term ones. The physical and mental efforts required are different in each situation. A good soldier can alternate between long, slow efforts and short, intense ones several times and still keep going. For that, he needs endurance. Do you understand?"
Naruto nodded slowly. "I think so, sergeant."
"No, you don't," corrected the man instantly, making Naruto bristle a little at what the blond thought was an insult. "Once you experience it with your body, you will though."
The boy unclenched his teeth. Tiger was probably right. It was one thing to conceive something intellectually and another to live through it. Naruto stared at the ANBU with defiance, despite the fact the man could probably not see it.
"I'm ready, sergeant."
"No one truly is," answered Tiger immediately before crouching. From one of his belt pouch, the agent took a scroll. "You know how to open a storage tag?" Naruto nodded. "Good. Inside are some clothes for you to wear during physical training. Create one clone again then go behind the cabin and change."
"Hai!" Naruto created another clone, took the scroll, and scampered off to change. Tiger turned to the clone who nervously gulped.
"As the original work on the physical aspect of things, you will meditate. The goal is to relax and follow the flow of chakra through your coils. Do not attempt to control it, just go with the flow." The ANBU explained with his usual monotone before his voice took a strange edge. "If you fall asleep I will make you hurt much but not enough that you dispel. Is that understood?"
The clone gulped again and nodded frenetically.
"Good. Begin."
The clone immediately sat in a lotus position and closed his eyes. Naruto returned soon after. His face still hidden behind the mask, the blond was now wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of pants that were wrapped under grey puttees. The shirt and pants were made of this strange blue, minutely green colored cloth that was used for the standard combat fatigues of Konoha ninjas.
The original blond watched the seated form of his clone curiously before he eyed his instructor. "What is he doing?"
"He is learning to meditate." The ANBU answered. "Do you know what an eight-count is?"
Naruto became whiter than the porcelain of his mask but acquiesced. "Hai, sergeant."
"Eight-counts, now, until I say stops. I'll count."
Naruto stood ramrod straight for a second before he folded his knees and crouched to get his hands firmly on the ground. He then kicked his legs backward in a single motion to find himself in a push-up position. The boy lowered his body before pushing back up. He kicked each of his feet on each side, kicked them back in line before kicking them under his torso back to a crouch. The blond then rose to stand straight.
"Your push-up is not a push-up. Lower your body to the ground, keep your back straight, your bottom squeezed tight and your elbows in." Tiger said. "Again."
Naruto did the count again only to hear the ANBU scold his form again. "Your back is not straight. Again."
The blond sighed. It was going to be a very, very long day.
Two Naruto clones followed Cat in a short corridor that opened on a longer, open perpendicular hallway with three levels, a steel staircase to access it, and many doors.
"Those are the cells where recruits like yourself sleep," explained the ANBU with a womanly voice. "Until you are either accepted or dismissed, you'll sleep here. Your cell is the number two hundred twenty-four, second floor. Your stuff has been brought there."
The two clones nodded and followed the ANBU when she walked without a word toward one end of the large, prison-like hallway. There was a door marked refectory. "Here, breakfast will be served each day at the first rotation. Four in the morning. Lunch will be at noon and dinner at seven."
The two replicas balked under their masks. Naruto did not really need a lot of sleep but they sure hoped for the sake of their Boss that he would be allowed to go to bed early. The ANBU suddenly whirled around and walked across the hallway in the opposite direction. The clones followed obediently to another door, this one marked library. The operative unlocked the door.
"Here is the library. You," said Cat, designing one of the two clones with a finger. "Go in there and learn by heart what the markings on an ANBU mask mean. They are a code and indicate the rank of an operative. It is also an S-ranked secret. If the original somehow reveals it, he will die."
The clone blanched, nodded, and disappeared behind the door.
Cat looked down on the other clone. "You follow me."
"Hai," muttered the masked copy.
The ANBU took the steel, spiraling staircase to climb to the second-floor gangway. She immediately went for a door that was exactly above where the original corridor ended. Opening the panel, this one marked "dojo", the female ANBU led the clone down yet another hallway with doors leading to dojo one either sides. Cat stopped in front of a completely nondescript door and opened it, revealing a square room with a wooden floor. The clone gulped when he noticed dark splatter marks on the wooden lattice.
"You will train your swordsmanship here with me. You are not to use a dojo alone. I will come and fetch you." The ANBU explained before stepping in.
The clone followed promptly and Cat closed the door, kneeled to spread open a scroll she had fished from a pouch, and unsealed its content. It was a straight, singled edged sword with a relatively short blade, a little bit under seventy centimeters in length. The edge of the blade was a light grey with almost indiscernible wave patterns in the steel while the top was a darker shade in color.
"This is a chokuto. As taijutsu is often insufficient to wound an opponent if it is not heavily chakra-enhanced, all ninja and particularly ANBU are required to learn kenjutsu. I will teach you." Cat said, presenting Clone-Naruto with the handle of the sword.
The clone took it with precaution, knowing a nick would be enough to dispel it.
"We will drill kihon and kata at first but let's work on your grip before we begin."
Clone-Naruto followed Dog, who had been silent, down the left hallway. It was relatively short and there had been closed doors on the wall but the ANBU had ignored them. Eventually, they reached one that seemed to satisfy the dog-masked figure who stopped.
"'Kay squid," began the operator, her voice young and feminine. "You're supposed to be good, time to prove it. In ANBU we do plenty of stuff. I'll teach you tracking, poison, and field medicine. For all that, you'll need your chakra control up to snuff first." The ANBU explained, making the clone bristle slightly behind his mask.
Yes, his chakra control was bad. Yes, he was willing to learn and get better. No, it was unnecessary to rub it in his face.
Dog royally ignored him and opened a door. The clone eyed the most bizarre room any version of Naruto, original or not, had ever imagined. The chamber was a cube but the ground had been carved out to form half a sphere, its curved surface covered with smooth, black tiles made of Flame knew what.
Dog walked in the room and beckoned for the clone to follow. The blond replica immediately fell on his butt; the floor was extremely slippery. The masked boy slid down the large bowl and ended in front of the ANBU, who was sniggering mockingly.
"Fresh out the Academy, uh? Tch."
The clone bristled again and fought against the tiles to right himself and stand up, carefully measuring each of his movement to avoid falling again.
"Double challenge for you. You need to pour chakra through the sole of your feet to stick to the ground. Too much and you fall, too little and you'll fall. The tiles are damn slippery also, which makes it harder," explained the ANBU before throwing a two fingers salute to the clone. Good luck newb." Dog completed before climbing up the slope of the sphere and sitting on the edge.
Clone Naruto turned slowly to face the ANBU and stuck out his tongue at her behind his mask.
"Your entire body language just tells me you did something. I'll punch the original for it," said the ANBU out of the blue. "Now get to it newb."
The replica grimaced and decided to get to work. Tentatively, he reached for his chakra and channeled as little as he could to his feet. He immediately bounced off the smooth tiles and impacted the curved wall before sliding down. The clone sighed. That was going to be a long day.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this more serious chapter. I lied a bit, I said last time the punching would begin now but apparently not. I can't cut it though, Naruto will train his ass off starting next chapter I promise. *insert training montage* I like reviews they are tasty, leave one for me?