Chapter 11

"You wanted to see me, sir?" asked Naruto as he walked into Kakashi's office. Kurogane was waiting outside since the dog refused to enter one of the kennels used to contain the dogs until their handlers came back for them. Naruto didn't have to worry about the dog causing a scene. He was very well behaved.

"Yes," said Kakashi. "How's your arm?"

"Better than ever," said Naruto swinging his arm around in a mock wind-up.

"And your partner?"

"More than ready to go."

"Good," said Kakshi and picked up a file. "We just got information on a low-level fighting ring. We don't know yet if it's connected to Gato, but..."

"No chances, got it," said Naruto taking the file.

"There is one thing before you begin the mission," said Kakashi. Naruto noticed the hesitation in Kakashi's voice and that worried him.

"What is it, Kakashi?" he asked.

"The brass wants to test you and Kurogane's abilities. Despite all the training you have had together..."

"We're not field tested," said Naruto with sad understanding.

"The Chief of Police and the District Attorney have decided to give you and Kurogane a trial run," said Kakashi. "They and I will judge you and Kurogane on your response time during unpredicatble situations."

"What do you mean, 'unpredicatable'?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but I can't disclose that."

Naruto nodded.

"Okay, so, when's the test?" he asked.

"Tomorrow at three."

Naruto looked at his captain and mentor in shock. One day didn't give him much time to prepare, but he had confidence in the teamwork between himself and Kurogane.

"Report to training ground three tomorrow at three," said Kakashi.

"Yes, sir," said Naruto before he turned to walked out of the office.

"And Naruto." Naruto turned to look back at Kakashi. "Good luck."

"Thank you, sir."

Naruto walked out of the office. Kurogane followed him not far behind.

Naruto could not have waited any longer for his week suspension to be over. He, Kyuubi and Kurogane walked every morning and evening and spent hours in the dog parks. Kyuubi loved to play outside and spent a while running and fetching the Frizbee that Naruto had brought until he collapsed from exhaustion.

Kurogane, on the other hand, stayed by Naruto's side and watched as the rest of the dogs and their owners played. He didn't even raise to the bait when Kyuubi tried to get him to play. After an hour, Kyuubi got tired and they'd head back to the house.

Now, Naruto's doctor and Kiba cleared both of them for duty. Naruto still felt a slight twitch in his arm, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Not when the thought of Gato still out there comes to mind. He had to pay for all the animals he had hurt.

Especially Kurogane.

Naruto looked down at his canine partner. Kurogane had endured so much at the hands of the tamers in the dog fighting ring. It was abuse and torture.

He understood why the higher-ups were worried about putting Kurogane back in the ring. Usually, no animal rehabilitator would allow a dog that was in fights to go back. There was always a chance of the animal going feral.

Naruto didn't foresee that happening with Kurogane. For some reason, since the moment they met, Naruto knew he could trust him. It wasn't something he questioned. He just knew that he could.

Kneeling in front of the dog, Naruto smiled encouragingly to his partner.

"We can handle anything they throw at us, right, boy?" he said.

Kurogane huffed in agreement.

XXXXXX

The next day, Naruto gave Kuragone an extra good scrub in the bath and took him on a short jog to loosen his muscles. Kurogane didn't seem uneasy about the test, but most animals picked up on their owners' anxiety and Naruto knew the test inside and out. He had no problem with going through the course and had a feeling they were going to come out strong.

The only downside was the district attorney. Danzo was a hard hitter on criminals, but hehit harder on those who opposed him, which Naruto did during the last election for governor when he voted for Sarutobi instead.

Danzo had came to the precinct to promote his campaign and Naruto spoke out against him. Even as a trainee, Naruto never liked how Danzo worked and had no problems with voicing his opinions, which got him into trouble sometimes.

With Danzo, he had the right to voice them. Naruto had what his friends call the B.S. radar. He would know when someone was lying to him and nearly every word Danzo said was one. Naruto was glad when Danzo was outvoted and remained a district attorney.

Naruto walked into the training grounds and looked around. Everything was exactly how he remembered it when he tested with Kyuubi. He looked down at Kurogane standing next to him.

"You ready for this, boy?" he asked, excited.

Sasuke huffed an agreement. He was more than ready to get the test over with and get out onto the field. He had a bone to pick with Gato. Especially the handler Mizuki. That man took too much pleasure to of hurting the dogs under his care, especially Sasuke. Mizuki probably had the same suspicions about Sasuke that Naruto's friends did. Sasuke had been too smart for a normal dog and didn't obey on command. Mizuki wasn't one to take that lightly. Sasuke couldn't count how many times Mizuki's cattle prod zapped him. If teaming up with Naruto meant that he could get back at the man, than he'd take it.

They walked to the builidng. It was an old warehouse converted to simulate every possible outcome in a raid. There were cameras inside to the judges could watch on monitors outside and determine the canidates outcome.

At the judging table, Kakashi was already there, early for once, sitting next to Asuma Sarutobi, the Chief of Police and with him was Danzo. Naruto greeted the first two warmly.

"Hey, Asuma, how's Kurenai and Mirai?" he asked.

"They're doing fine," he said. "They can't wait to see you at the next barbeque."

"Just tell Choji to save me some ribs."

"Doubt it."

"If we can get on with it," said Danzo annoyed. "I have a trial this afternoon and would like to be on time."

"Picky, picky," said Naruto.

"Your weapon," said Asuma.

Naruto walked up to the judging table and pulled out his weapon. Right in front of the three judges, Naruto stripped his weapon to show it wasn't tampered with and assembled it. The whole process took about two minutes and easy for Naruto. His mother taught him how to handle a gun when he was ten and taught him to shoot at the age of twelve. The first thing she instilled into him was that a gun was a weapon and should be respected and feared at the same time. He never forgot his mother's lesson, no matter how much he was bullied at school. He couldn't remember how many times he had gotten detention for fighting or yelling at the bullies that seemed to get a kick out of making fun of him and his mother, yet the thought of taking his mother's gun never came to mind. He preferred to win his fights his own way.

Assembling his weapon, he accepted the loaded clip and holstered his weapon. With Sasuke's leash in hand, he turned to the starting line and waited for the sergeant to give him the signal.

"There are six bad guys, one hostage and five packets of drugs in the building," said Asuma. "There is no time limit. You're to start at the signal."

Naruto unclipped Sasuke's leash and unholstered his gun, leveling it to the ground at the ready until the sergeant gave the signal.

"Go!" said the sergeant, blowing the horn.

Naruto raised his gun and walked into the building. Sasuke was a foot in front of him. Entering the building, Naruto checked to see if the area was clear before moving on.

Sasuke wove through crates and boxes, sniffing out people and drugs. He remembered watching those procedural cop shows his mother like to watch and how they could canvass a building in less than a minute, but in real life, it took six minutes. It didn't help that it was just the two partners, but that didn't stop them.

Naruto had taken out five of the six bad guys and was currently looking for the sixth and the hostage. Sasuke had found all five packets of drugs and was leading Naruto toward the last bad guy. They found him in the last room, holding the hostage against him like a shield and pointed the gun at her.

"Don't take another step or I'll blow her head off!" he yelled.

Naruto took a cautious step forward and the man cocked the gun.

"I mean it!"

Sasuke growled. He knew this was only a simulated test, but he didn't like the tone he made toward Naruto.

"Ma'am, do you trust me?" asked Naruto, his eye not leaving her capture.

She nodded and a split second later, Naruto's gun when off. She cried out in pain as a red spot appeared on her shoulder. She dropped to the floor when the man lossened his hold and Naruto shot him three times in the chest. The man dropped the ground and Naruto cautiously walked toward him, his gun still in hand.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" he asked.

"You shot me!" she screeched, holding her shoulder.

"Yeah, sorry about that," said Naruto as he kicked the gun away. He knelt beside her and checked her shoulder. "You should be used to getting shot at though, right, Kurenai?"

"Doesn't mean I like it," said Kurenai getting up. "I'd like to go home to my daughter in one piece, thanks."

"Come on, it was just a paintball gun."

"They still hurt."

Sasuke was listening to the two argue as he looked to a door opened not far from them. He knew the test was over, but something didn't sit right with him. The smell of dog hung in the air, at least a half hour old, and it didn't have a retreating scent. If fact it was getting stronger. Before he could wonder why, Senbon ran through the open door and charge toward Naruto.

Like in the alley, Sasuke didn't think. He reacted. He jumped and intercepted Senbon before he reached Naruto and latched onto the dog's neck. Both dogs rolled around on the floor, both trying to get the upper hand in the fight. As they fought, Sasuke caught a scent coming off of Senbon that was definitely not canine. It distracted him for a moment, but that was enough for Senbon to latch onto his neck. Sasuke kicked him off as aloud whistle sounded and Senbon ran out of the room.

"What the fuck?!" yelled Naruto running toward Sasuke's side and checking his injuries. "Was that part part of the test?"

"Not that I know of," said Kurenai, kneeling next to Naruto. "How is he?"

"Seems shallow, but I want Kiba and Hinata to check on it." By the tone in Naruto's voice, anyone could tell that he was furious. "But right now, I'm going to give those judges a piece of my mind."

Getting up, he walked out of the warehouse. Sasuke wasn't far behind him. Walking outside, he walked to the judging table and stopped in front of it. Kakashi and Asuma looked almost as furious as Naruto and were glaring daggers at Danzo.

"What the fuck, Kakashi?!" yelled Naruto. "Where the hell did Cujo come from?!"

"That's what I'd like to know," said Kakashi.

"It wouldn't exactly be a test if he knew what the challenge was," said Danzo, "so I asked Sergeant Tsuchi to assist with her canine partner."

"You were supposed to inform us of any changes," said Asuma angrily. "Your decision put Naruto and his partner in danger."

Danzo glared at them both in annoyance before answering.

"The only danger is a distracted mind, which Naruto exihibited. How can we entrust him in the field if he can't keep his head in the game?"

"Naruto exhibited amazing focus," said Asuma. "This wasn't his first time taking the test and both him and his partner secured the building in record time."

"He shot the hostage."

"He saved the hostage," said Kakashi. "In a real raid, an officer will have to make a split second decision to save a life."

"I am not disputing that," said Danzo. "I am disputing his actions."

"This is a test to see if Naruto and Kurogane can handle situations under pressure," said Kakashi. "He will have no back up, so he will have to get used to split second decisions. I am confident in his test results."

"As am I," said Asuma.

"I am not." Everyone turned to Danzo with a glare, but the older man ignored them and continued. "I suggest we use Tsuchi for this operation. She and Senbon have done undercover work before. Surely they are more than qualified."

"They are, but Senbon does not have the air of a fight dog," said Asuma. "Kurogane does."

"Then, by all means, have her and Officer Uzumaki's dog go together."

"What?!" yelled Naruto. "No way in hell will I allow someone else to partner with Kurogane!"

'Agreed,' said Sasuke with a growl. He never liked Kin. Something about her put him off, and the smell coming off of Senbon. No way was that canine, or human.

"I agree," said Kakashi. "Kurogane will obey no one but Naruto. Naruto spent the last six months taking care of him and training him. If you try to set him up with another partner, I doubt you will get a possitive response."

'Damn right!'

Kim laughs.

"Give me a break, its just a dog!" she said. "If you had trained your pet properly then any handler can use him."

"Kurogane is my partner, not my pet," said Naruto vehemently. "And the day you become Kurogane's partner is over my dead body!"

'Even after that,' said Sasuke.

"Let's hope it never comes to that," said Kakashi standing up. "The purpose of this test was to determine if you and Kurogane can work as a team, and you have proven you can. I say they are more than qualified to take on the case."

"I second that," said Asuma. He gave Naruto a proud smile. "I have never seen a better K-9 team."

"Thanks, Asuma-sensei, Kakashi-sensei," said Naruto happily.

"Do us proud, you two," said Kakashi.

Naruto nodded and walked out of the warehouse. As he headed toward his car his phone started to ring. He dug it out of his pocket and answered.

"Uzumaki."

"Naruto, it's Kiba. I got Kyuubi's test results back."

"That's great, Kiba. So what is it? Is he all right?"

"Naruto..." Kiba's voice sounded strained, as if he was having trouble saying the words. Naruto immediately picked up on Kiba's distress.

"Kiba, what's wrong?"

"Naruto, I'm sorry. When I looked at his brain scans...I found a spot."

"A spot?"

"A tumor, Naruto. Kyuubi's dying."

TBC