Chapter 1,
A Black Dawn, I
Five years later…
Ice blue eyes snapped open, seconds before a blade of blackened steel slammed down upon the space his head had once occupied.
Naruto reacted instinctively.
His heel stomped against the aggressor's knee, buying him the time he needed to avoid the rapid follow up that would have gored him through the stomach.
Slamming both feet this time into the aggressor's sternum, Naruto pushed the man, who he could now see was indeed a shinobi, back several feet and rolled off the tacky bed he had been 'sleeping' in. His hands scooped up both his pillow and the kunai that had been hidden beneath it with a harried efficiency.
He whirled around, shoddily deflecting two of the three sword strikes that were levelled at his head with desperate parries that jarred his hands. Hissing in pain as the heavy blade was barely subverted by his comparably tiny weapon, he was forced to duck the next swipe. His off-hand flashed forwards, flicking the pillow into the face of the attacker and blocking his opponent's sight for but a fraction of a second.
It was all Naruto needed.
As the pillow was batted away in an almost annoyed fashion, the kunai that was following scant inches behind it slammed into his foe's skull with a dull 'thud'.
The body stood rigid for a second as the joints locked in shock, before its form lost cohesion and rapidly distorted, falling to the floor in a puddle water.
The air behind the boy rippled, and Naruto spun just in time for a rough, gloved hand to wrap around his forehead, the fingers digging tightly into his scalp. His grimace was cut short as the aggressor's other hand raised the large sword to the boy's throat… and ran it across the skin, carving through the tough muscle in the neck with putrid ease.
A blackened ANBU mask, embossed to resemble the snarling visage of a Jaguar, lowered to meet Naruto's dimming gaze… before the dark eyes behind the mask widened minutely as the child began to glow dangerously, electricity crackling across his form with reckless abandon.
The hiss of building static was the only warning the masked shinobi got before the lightning clone exploded with the sound of a ruptured gas tank. The wave of white electricity that shockwaved through the room caught the ANBU flatfooted, ripping into his torso and scorching it to oblivion before slamming into the walls and searing the stone black.
The real Naruto emerged from the under the bed and stood, feet splashing in the remains of the ANBU agent's second water clone.
The boy's eyes glanced around calmly as he lowered onto the ball of his back foot, readying for further attacks with his arms raised in what looked to be a conventional boxing guard.
A minute passed, and still the boy stood, waiting.
Nothing happened.
He waited for several moments longer, the body replacement technique primed and ready to swap his form with the single small desk in the room at a moment's notice, before he lowered his hands and slowly relinquished his stance.
Dismissing the amassing chakra he had been gathering, the child relaxed and took stock of his surroundings. Eyeing the mess in the room had him sighing in resignation, and with a small shake of the head, he set to work on cleaning the small chamber with an almost practiced familiarity.
Distantly, his mind whirred.
That was the sixth time this week… did I piss the old man off somehow, or is this some sort of warning? The last time he had been driven like this, the ANBU Commander himself had come to evaluate his training…
What followed would likely take the top spot as one of the most gruelling and demanding days in his young life. He had been laid bleeding and broken at the foot of the ANBU medical division on death's doorstep, and the Commander had still found him wanting.
Shrugging off the nightmarish memories of the Commander's eerie silver mask gazing down at him dispassionately, he emerged from his room minutes later, dressed in the standard trainee ANBU attire. A blank, black mask, stamped with the number '1' hid his features from the world as he strode through the dreary corridors that were situated deep below the Hokage tower, deeper even than the main ANBU HQ.
He passed by rooms. Rooms that would once have been delegated to the most promising of ANBU recruits. The best and the brightest would have slept here once, all of them tempering their minds and bodies to prove themselves worthy of the vaunted mantle of the 'Black ANBU'.
They were all empty now, and had been for years.
The Black ANBU program that had been inaugurated by the Nidaime Hokage had long since lain dormant. The super-soldiers the monstrous regime had once churned out by the handfuls were either dead, or long forgotten.
Very few still wore the dark masks, blackened by soot and ash.
…and only one could claim the title of being the very bane of Naruto's existence.
For five sodding years, this had been his home. For five years, he had known nothing but the snarling face of Jaguar. The boy sneered behind his mask as he continued walking.
That rancid, saggy-sacked fossil…
How he loathed that damnable mask and the man who wore it.
His sneer was wiped from his face as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge. His instincts, honed to a hair-splitting edge by a bloodstained killer from the ancient wars, screamed at him with a manic fervour to MOVE.
Eyes widening behind his mask, the boy kicked off the ground and palmed two kunai that slipped up from under his arm-guards, using them to stab deep into the stone ceiling above. The stone was old, but it was enough to hold his weight as the boy hauled his body up parallel to the ground by his makeshift handholds.
The large curved sword of his tortu- mentor whipped underneath him, spinning end to end before sinking deep into the dusty wall at the opposite end of the corridor with a metallic clank.
Naruto immediately dropped from his perch, landing on spry feet as he spun around and copped a solid left cross to the face. His head snapped backwards sharply, just as the handfuls of shuriken he had palmed left his gloved fingers.
At this distance, he couldn't hope to miss, not that his aim was that terrible either.
However, Jaguar didn't play by the rules, evident as the wiry figure dispersed in another splash of water. The shuriken in his throat and upper chest fell to the ground with a clatter.
Naruto wasn't fooled. He was already turning, his body twisting in the air in a forwards corkscrew as the blade from before came flying back with a vengeance, the ninja wire wrapped around its handle pulling it through the air with a dextrous grace.
The blade passed scant inches from his face as he twisted over it. He could even see his reflection in the polished edge of the weathered weapon for but a moment before it flew by.
The snowy-haired ANBU trainee landed in a sprinter's position on the floor, his hands flashing as he rose.
"Lightning Release: Storm Giant's Thunderclap."
Hands flush in the boar seal, the ashen-haired boy spread his hands, drawing out a wide array of sizzling bolts of white lightning that arced between the curled digits snappily. Chakra flushed from the tenketsu in his hands as he opened his palms and, with a grunt of exertion, clapped them together.
A sonic boom of deafening proportions exploded from the tips of his fingers as the lightning based chakra flooded from his hands, surging forwards in a raging wall of thunder and electricity.
The figure stood at the far end of the corridor was engulfed by the condensed electrical storm within instants. The howling gales ripped limbs from bodice, and the electricity fried all the airborne pieces into chunks of blackened flesh before the technique slammed into the far wall, shattering the stone into a spider web of cracks.
Cursing, the boy immediately fell back into a defensive, even as the mangled remains at the end of the hallway dispersed into mere puddles of water.
How many more were there?
A cold chill crept up the back of his neck, and it was with a relieved sigh did the boy blink, his eyes flashing a ghoulish white as he peered into the realm of the dead.
Ghost was here, walking towards him with eerily silent steps.
"Rough morning?" Came the predictable quip.
Naruto didn't respond immediately, only shooting the figure an irritated scowl before glancing around warily.
"Oh, that was the last one if you were wondering, I checked."
With a sigh, the boy dropped his guard, his shoulders loosening up as he turned to face the apparition. "That old man is going crazy with these damned clones!" He hissed lowly, striding past Ghost and towards the exit. "He's going to be gassed out of chakra by the time I get to him at this rate."
Ghost snorted softly, "Heh, probably." He replied, his tone melancholic.
Naruto snapped a sharp gaze onto the man, brow raised, but the spectre had already looked away. His eyes were locked on the doors they were passing by.
Almost as if on cue, the first scream echoed from his right. Naruto grit his teeth as the wailing began, coming from the closed, deserted trainee ANBU dorms. He kept his eyes staring straight ahead, steadfastly ignoring the screams of pain and pleas for help from the ghosts stuck in the past.
There was a reason why the Sandaime had abolished the Black ANBU program, and it was a justified one…
He carefully stepped around door number '23', trying his best to overlook the brackish blood that began to seep from beneath the door as the hollow, tortured screams of a girl no older than he echoed from behind the door. The rhythmic, laboured grunting of an older man and the wet slapping of flesh that followed in the wake of her voice had Naruto shaking his head uneasily as he pulled his sight out from the realm of the dead.
The sounds abruptly stopped.
Ghost was no longer visible, although the chill in the air was still with him which provided a small amount of comfort. Not that he would dare admit it to the snarky undead, ever.
Naruto sighed. As much as he despised Jaguar… it was clear he had gotten rather lucky with the old ANBU, judging from the horrors that occurred in this place's prime.
Leaving the atrocities sanctioned by the Nidaime behind him, Naruto pushed through a set of wooden doors.
Within lay the mess room, a lounge of sorts for shinobi to loiter and socialise in. It was a junction of sorts, with one passage leading up towards the ANBU main HQ, and the other leading deeper into the Black ANBU facilities.
The sight of the dusty couches and tables that had fallen long into disuse had Naruto snorting softly in a twisted sort of amusement.
He hadn't spent a single second longer than necessary within the 'lounge'.
There was no one else to 'lounge' around with, after all.
He was halfway through the room before a sudden flash of freezing cold ran up his spine. Halting mid stride, the snowy-haired ANBU cocked his head to the side… and finally heard the slow burning hiss that ever so gently tickled at his ears.
It was emanating from directly below his feet…
Skin prickling as adrenalin flushed through his system, Naruto moved, throwing himself backwards as the ground beneath him exploded with a flash of orange and a cloud of black smoke. His back collided with the ground harshly as he was propelled by the blast; but even as his form skipped across the ground and back out of the wooden doors he had come from, his eyes flashed a formless white.
"Where?" He whispered as he came to a rolling stop.
The cold breath of Ghost was freezing against his ear. "Twelve o' clock, engaging now."
The boy blinked, his vision coming back to that of reality just as a kunai sunk deep into the slitted eye socket of his mask with a wet squelch.
The ANBU, decked in his light grey gear and a white beetle mask, pulled back immediately, yanking his kunai free from what was now part of the ruined wooden door as the Black ANBU trainee's hasty body replacement took effect.
The insect masked operative spun, his dual kunai stance raised high to block the strike that had come his way, prepared for the brazen frontal assault.
He was not prepared however, for the second Naruto that glided forwards underneath the first, going low as his counterpart went high and took the beetle ANBU's guard up with him. The fist of pure white, hissing electrical energy that slammed into the inside of the aggressor's knee hit mere instants before the clone above was shanked through the throat.
It had more than served its purpose.
The result was ghastly.
The beetle ANBU screamed as his form collapsed under his now mangled leg.
Running on instincts and ingrained training as he was, Naruto didn't bother to stop the limp form of his lightning clone that slammed into the ANBU with its crackling corpse. Instead, he vanished in a body flicker, moments before the deadly electrical payload detonated.
The gruesome sound of meat chunks hitting the floor could be heard echoing down the hallway…
Curiously, it was this sound that turned the cog in the ashen-haired shinobi's head.
Did… did he just kill a leaf-nin?
He was in the middle of turning to run back to the corpse, sweat beginning to break out on his forehead, before the clearing of a throat had him pivoting on the spot. White electricity sparked down his hands as he palmed and threw a kunai in the blink of an eye.
There was a startled 'cling!' of metal on metal as the second individual barely parried the airborne steel.
"Please stand down, Zero-one."
The female voice threw him off guard… He had been expecting the gravelly, thrumming tone of Jaguar.
Lowering his hands that were clenched around more kunai, the trainee ANBU regarded the newcomer.
She was short, womanly though rather lacking any significant muscle definition. Bearing a lightweight reconnaissance variant of the dull grey ANBU uniform, a bird mask, and no supplementing weapons, Naruto felt his pupils dilate slightly in bloodlust.
It was akin to a wolf laying its eyes upon a fattened sheep.
Ranged combatant, remain wary of Genjutsu and move to engage in CQC if applicable. He decided succinctly. He then saw the thin gouge across her ceramic mask from her partial parry, and amended his statement. Reaction time somewhat lacking, move to engage in CQC at all costs.
Her hands were currently raised non-threateningly and her voice was level, calm even. Although, the furtive flicks of the head as she glanced at the desecrated corpse that lay in pieces behind the black-masked shinobi told otherwise.
Relaxing, if only slightly, the trainee ANBU took a split moment to compose himself. For the life of him, Naruto couldn't think of what to say as he stared at her. The morning had gone rather off the rails.
The female ANBU, oblivious to his inner conundrum, nodded and lowered her hands. "Please follow me. The Grandmaster is awaiting your presence in the tea room." She stated quietly, before turning. Naruto caught sight of her gingerly rubbing the scratch across her mask, and pursed his lips sheepishly.
He hesitated for a moment, before nodding. Falling into step behind the kunoichi, he radiated a sense of cool aloofness, but internally, his composure was less than cohesive.
Was this another test? Who the hell did he just kill? Why did this basic ANBU operative in front of him have the clearance to be down in S-ranked territory?
The sodden chill that hovered just over his shoulder helped to ease his nerves, if only a little.
A quick shift of his eyes allowed his ethereal companion to inform him that there were no surprise attacks waiting ahead. Unless Ghost was just dicking around with him, which wasn't a ridiculous notion in the slightest.
He was led through a winding series of passageways. Naruto was entirely familiar with the route, having limped down them after getting his as handed to him by an ancient Black ANBU and the odd two or three specialists that were sent down to 'educate' him.
However, the particular room they were heading to had been one he had always passed by without a second thought. Not once, had he ever been authorised to enter. What is going on?
Soon enough, Naruto found himself stepping by the bird masked ANBU as she unlocked and ushered him inside of the mysterious room. His eyes immediately started snapping around, drinking in the details.
It was a small room, with polished wooden floors and bamboo walls lined with paintings and black tapestries. A figure sat resting on a cushion in the middle of the room, slowly laying out a jade tea set on a wooden placard with an almost reverent touch.
Even though the snarling black jaguar mask covered his features, and the old, dated ANBU gear left little of his body exposed, Naruto could see the years lining the man's form.
What skin that showed was weathered, and leathery. The long dreadlocks that fell from his scalp were grey and frayed. The ANBU shifted, revealing the steel spike for a right leg that had been severed at the ankle during the Second Great War. It too had succumbed to the decaying touch of time, evident by the accumulated rust.
Naruto drew a heavy breath, before steeling himself. His back straight and his gaze facing ahead over the top of the kneeling Black ANBU, the ANBU-in-training approached with quiet, measured steps.
Coming to a halt a few paces from the cushion laid opposite Jaguar, Naruto bowed deeply, a gesture of deference.
He may have disliked the old warrior immensely, but dislike, did not equate to disrespect.
The decrepit looking shinobi before him was once an S-ranked assassination specialist, with three confirmed S-rank kills and an unmatched single-cell parameter mission record. Age may have dulled his skills and sapped him of his S-ranking, but he was still a Black ANBU and one of the most dangerous killers the Land of Fire.
The jaguar mask tilted upwards, as if noticing the small ANBU stood across from him for the first time. "Zero-one." He murmured, his aged voice distorted and warped by the synthesiser in the mask. "You're early."
Rising from his bow, the boy nodded, but said nothing more.
"Before we begin, please dispose of the security breach standing behind you."
There was a startled shuffle of movement behind him, "B-but the Hokage said-"
Whatever the bird-masked ANBU had been about to say was rendered void as her head suddenly snapped to the left at an unnatural angle. The crunch of bone was muted by the sound of smashed porcelain as the bird mask was shattered, revealing a face that would have once been considered quite comely.
It was now hideously disfigured. Her jaw had been smashed gruesomely to the side and left hanging on by a bruised tendon, courtesy of Naruto's spinning backfist.
Her body crumpled to the floor, folding in on itself like a deflated balloon.
'Thud!'
A kunai slammed into her limp skull. Just in case.
Grunting in apparent satisfaction, the elder ANBU gestured to the cushioned mat laid on the opposite side of the small tea set that separated the two. His old hands shook ever so slightly as he laid down an empty saucer for the boy.
Blinking in slight confusion as he rubbed his sore knuckles, the trainee nonetheless complied.
Despite the fact that he had just murdered yet another Konoha shinobi in cold-blood, Naruto was more floored by what was happening in front of him.
Jaguar, the menace, the man who tormented him for five years, the monster under his bed… was pouring him tea.
Naruto's icy eyes never left the aged shinobi, even as he bowed his head and took the offered cup in his gloved fingers.
There was a pause for a moment as both masked ANBU held the steaming brew in their hands, before Jaguar finally stood, knees creaking as he did so. The large, ancient sword on his back clanked against his armour as he walked away to observe one of the paintings.
Immediately, the snowy haired initiative reached into a tiny side pouch stitched into his gloves with a finger and slipped out a swab. He dipped it in the tea hurriedly before concealing it within his palm, eyeing the older ANBU's back all the while.
"At ease, recruit. Your toxicity resistance would make poisoning you a hassle I would rather not deal with. The tea is safe."
Naruto froze slightly, a deer in the headlights. A glance at the chemical swab revealed that it was indeed safe. Blinking owlishly, he detached his mask and took a sip before immediately clicking it back into place.
None knew the face of a Black ANBU. Not even a rookie one.
The old man barely even got away with sending clones after him in his sleep.
Silence reigned for a long time as Jaguar just stared at the painting with ancient eyes. Minutes passed, maybe even an hour before finally the old assassin spoke. "Scarab 3-5," he began, "close combat assault unit, age thirty-one, C-rank chūnin of ANBU platoon 'Charlie' attached to squadron five." He drilled out in his slow, mechanical drawl.
Naruto stiffened.
"And Ibis 3-5, supplementary specialist, age nineteen, C-ranked chūnin of ANBU platoon 'Charlie' attached to squadron five-"
Jaguar glanced over his shoulder to stare at his apprentice.
"-were executed this morning, on the grounds of treason-"
The snowy-haired ANBU's eyes widened behind his mask. "Wait, what-"
His exclamation was cut short as a kunai came hissing over his head, forcing his mouth shut.
Fingers still extended from the casual flick over his shoulder, the elder ANBU turned around to fully face his now silent apprentice. "Disregarding that disappointing whore entirely," he gestured dismissively towards the scattered corpse of Ibis, "-you killed Scarab rather quickly. It seems that he underestimated your capabilities."
Naruto simply stared at the man, unaware of whether the older shinobi was awaiting a response.
"He's an idiot then, as well as a traitor. An ANBU is a threat to be taken seriously, no matter their age." The jaguar mask tilted down, to regard the boy curiously. "Do you know what day it is?"
Wednesday? The sarcastic reply almost slipped from Naruto's mouth, but he bit down hard on his tongue to hold it in. Instead, he shook his head.
A kunai bounced off his mask, handle first. "It's Wednesday, you stupid child."
A vein popped in Naruto's forehead.
"-but it is also our fifth year anniversary." The synthetic drawl of the mask made the statement sound almost like a threat. "How cute."
Naruto cocked a brow, 'cute' wasn't a word that was supposed to be a part of Jaguar's vocabulary. The man was the very antithesis of the word. "As you say, sir." He replied neutrally.
The Black ANBU cocked his head to the side, and snorted softly before reaching behind his back. Naruto immediately tensed for the incoming blow, preparing to dodge just in case the old man threw his sword or something else just as ludicrous at him.
Nothing came flying at his face.
Instead, the Black ANBU unclipped a mask from his belt. It was an old thing, lined with scars that shone silver in the light of the sconces on the wall. Naruto recognised the mask, though he had never seen the old man take it off from his waist.
The elder seemed to stare at it for a second, before with an indiscernible murmur that Naruto couldn't quite make out, he tossed it forwards lightly.
The ashen-haired ANBU caught it easily, before turning the thing over. The black, scarred face of a panther stared back at him, its slitted eyes leering at him with an intensity that felt somehow, alive.
He glanced up, and found the Black ANBU across from him regarding him silently, now holding his steaming cup of tea.
"It belonged to one of my squad mates, Panther 2-1." He stated gruffly, however the bite in his voice was curiously absent. "It is yours now."
Naruto's eyes widened as he snapped his head up to stare at his mentor. "Does this mean-"
"-Yes, and no. Normally, you would be assigned to other Black ANBU trainees, to act as a team before you earn your masks… however." He gestured to the empty room with a hand.
Naruto nodded. The implication was rather obvious.
"Which means… we're done here, report to the Hokage's office for further instructions." The ANBU placed his tea cup, which was now somehow empty, back on the wooden placard. He stepped around the boy and over the girl's corpse, heading for the exit. "Finish your tea, burn everything in your quarters." His gloved hand paused on the way to the door. "Oh, and Panther?"
Naruto blinked. Turning, he faced his teacher, panther mask gripped tightly in his hand. "Sir?"
The old man stared at him. "Don't you dare bring shame to that mask."
The icy-eyed Black ANBU, no longer a recruit, swallowed thickly before inclining his head. "Sir."
Jaguar's gaze remained for a moment longer, before he grunted. He left, his grey dreadlocks swaying with his movements before he vanished in a haze of ash.
Naruto watched him leave, before his eyes returned to the mask in his hand. "Panther, huh?"
He shivered as a rakish chill suddenly brushed over the top of his head. He blinked, the colour in his eyes dying to a pure white.
Ghost was, as expected, trying to ruffle his hair even though the dead man's hand was somewhat fading through the top of Naruto's scalp. "See, I always said you'd make it!"
"I'm pretty sure you told me to give up and jump off the nearest cliff once." He muttered acerbically, even as his heart swelled with pride as he stared at the black, abused mask.
"What!? No way, you must have misheard me… I said it at least twice!" He seemed to ponder something as he continued poking ineffectually at Naruto's head. "Man, gonna miss that old bastard. Remember when he poured hot-sauce into your peehole because you forgot to-"
-and like that, the pride slipped away as the boy blinked quickly, the colour coming back into his eyes as he shot an annoyed glare at where he knew Ghost was. "Yep, that's enough out of you."
Reaching up, he pulled off his trainee mask and tossed it to the side before bringing the panther mask to his face. It snapped in place with a satisfying 'click', and immediately the properties of the ANBU mask came into effect.
His vision glowed yellow, before focusing to an even sharper, crystal clarity. The air filters in the mask engaged with a pneumatic hiss, before growing silent as it detected no harmful substances. The seal imbued into the inside forehead of the mask began to painfully sear a summoning matrix into his skin-
Wait… what?
Naruto's eyes widened in shock, moments before his form vanished in a puff of white smoke.
Land of Fire, Konoha, Hokage tower, Hokage's office
Smoke wafted lazily from the end of the old wooden pipe, the tobacco within it gently burning away into dull embers. The old Kage let out a breath of fumes from his nostrils, before removing the pipe from his mouth and turning to eye the short, though no less dangerous ANBU kneeling before his desk.
"Stand, old friend. Those craggy knees aren't spry enough for ceremony these days." He intoned, his words light, but his tone heavy. The ancient shinobi before him was likely more than incensed with him.
The Black ANBU rose, and the dilapidated Jaguar mask rose to meet the Hokage's gaze. "You soil the legacy of the Black ANBU with this order, Hokage-sama." Jaguar shook his head. "His training is not complete."
Hiruzen masked his displeasure as he glanced away, looking towards the Hokage monument. He had abolished Tobirama's disgusting program out of outrage when he had taken the mantle of Kage, even scoffed at the excuse that it was necessary.
He snorted derisively. Sod the gods of irony, here he was… guilty of doing the same damned thing.
Did he have a choice? No. Word was spreading fast and the news of a young, untrained, unsheltered Jinchuuriki would just be blood in the air that would bring the wolves running.
Had someone powerful enough to avoid every means of detection nearly stolen Naruto from under Konoha's nose? Yes.
Was it expected of him as Kage to train the village's Jinchuuriki into a force to match, and dwarf others of his own kind? Yes.
Was he ashamed that he had not the resolve to see this through to the end, and bear the guilt of creating a monster for the rest of his life? Yes.
Sarutobi Hiruzen ignored this however, pushing it away into the dark recesses of his mind. He nodded solemnly, acknowledging the man's words. "I know." His eyes rose to meet the Black ANBU's before him. "I know it's a lie, regardless, I couldn't stand by and watch anymore… I've had enough of committing atrocities and hiding beneath the thin excuse that is the greater good."
Jaguar cocked his head to the side, and stared. Eventually, he shrugged. "You've grown weak."
Hiruzen smiled fondly. "All men have a weakness."
"You are not a man. You are a Kage."
The Sandaime had no reply to that.
Instead, he changed the topic. "His training is not wasted, I assume?"
Jaguar scoffed in response. "Are you trying to insult me?" At the Hokage's irritated stare, he shrugged again, poking at the wooden floor with his spiked foot. "He's no Black ANBU by any means, but he's good." Was all he gave.
Hiruzen hummed softly. Good in Jaguar's eyes was likely 'prodigal' in the eyes of others. A displeased frown crested his features as the word echoed in his mind. Prodigy… He hated the word. It meant nothing.
"I gave the runt Akemi's old mask." The Black ANBU suddenly stated.
The Hokage's frown disappeared as his brows rose in full-blown shock. He stared at the Grandmaster of the Black ANBU, coughing slightly as he tried to speak.
Jaguar just sighed as he waited for the Hokage to regain his composure.
"I-I never imagined you giving up that contract…"
Jaguar snorted, his hand falling to where his old partner's mask had rested by his hip since the day she died. "He is a half-finished project, a half-made monstrosity. He deserves to be made whole." The old assassin looked away. "I believe him capable of earning her mask at some point." The man then cocked his head. "If he isn't eaten, that is."
The aged Kage nodded absently, taking a deep drag on his pipe as he turned to glance out over Konoha. A half-made monster. "I wish I had never called on you." Hiruzen admitted softly. "I wish you had just died off and faded into myths, like the rest of your kind."
Jaguar just stared at his Hokage. A long time passed, before he eventually shrugged once again. "I am well aware." He said. "You are not alone in the sentiment."
The Sandaime removed the pipe from his mouth, no longer in the mood for it. "I shall not call on you again, old friend."
"I somehow doubt that."
The elderly Kage closed his eyes, a tired breath escaping his lips. You are not alone in the sentiment.
"You are dismissed."
The air in the room barely even shifted, and subconsciously the Hokage noted for not the first time just how deadly that man was. If Iwa had stealth specialists anywhere near that level of skill… he may not have held the title of Kage for so long.
Location unknown…
Naruto reappeared in a plume of white smoke, and immediately moved. He flashed to the side faster than he ever had, the ground cracking slightly from the sheer force exerted upon it.
Hunkering down in some foliage, the rookie ANBU took a long moment as he scanned for threats.
Minutes passed, before Naruto rose to his feet. Brows furrowing in consternation, he glanced around in a baffled sort of wonder.
He was in a jungle.
Vines wrapped around every tree and looped through the canopies like green snakes. Strange smelling flora littered the floor, and mushrooms in clumps as large as his head grew at the base of trees that were thicker and wilder than even the ones in the Forest of Death.
I have a feeling that this isn't the safest place to be right now…
No sooner did those thoughts come back to bite him as he suddenly found himself pressed against the trunk of one the giant trees, his breath frozen in his chest. Scuttling past by mere inches, a centipede as large as one of Konoha's main roads skittered across the jungle floor, heading for the dissipating smoke from the summon.
Swallowing thickly, Naruto glanced up the length of the tree looming directly above him. Perhaps he would be able to gain some sort of vantage point?
The hot, damp air stuck to his clothes, wetting and pressing them flat to his skin as he climbed. Eventually, he crested the canopy surface and emerged above the thick blanket of trees, and his eyes widened at the sight that met him.
Jungle… just endless jungle dotted with mountains and swamp lakes as far as his enhanced eyes could see.
He was not in the land of Fire anymore, that was for sure. Am I even in the elemental nations? The thought made him uneasy, but it wasn't exactly far-fetched. Not a single region could boast a climate like this, and a place this large would have to be on a map somewhe-
Naruto stiffened as something shifted below him.
'CRASH!'
The top of the tree he had been surveying from was obliterated.
Naruto landed a harshly on a branch of another tree as he stumbled out of his body flicker, his feet slamming into the wood and cracking the bark. However, whatever it was that was chasing him was fast, deathly so as a very large weight slammed against his tree mere instants after him.
Replacing himself with a boulder that he could see down on the jungle floor, the ANBU immediately took off in a sprint, feet pounding like jackhammers against the damp ground.
It would make sense… that something that could nearly match the speed of his body flicker, would likely far outclass him when it came to just his basic foot speed.
Naruto hadn't quite made that connection as that something suddenly slammed him face first into the ground after he had made perhaps ten paces, pinning him down with an impossible strength. The cloud of dust settled, just as a fuzzy, ticklish sensation brushed up against his ear.
"State your name and business here. Man should not walk these lands." The voice that spoke was deep and guttural, yet somehow strangely polite. The very pitch of it seemed to rattle Naruto's ribcage.
Naruto groaned into the earth, his voice muffled as his face was pressed into his mask, and his mask pressed into the dirt.
The pressure on his back eased, and the boy was able to wriggle around to rotate and face whatever it was that had slammed him into the ground. He promptly recoiled in shock, only to wince as the back of his head bounced off the ground.
A giant black panther as large as a house was pinning him to the ground with a single paw. Its huge, regal head stared down at him with yellow, near auburn slitted eyes that reeked of intelligence.
Naruto opened his mouth, before a terribly sharp sensation pricked at the edge of his throat under his mask. A quick glance downwards revealed to him that the giant feline had unsheathed its claws.
It leaned down, eyes dangerously narrowed as it stared at the mask covering Naruto's face.
"That mask… it does not belong to you. Explain, if you would, and quickly."
Naruto edged away from the tip of the claw against his throat, "It was given to me." He wheezed, the air escaping through his vocal chords a tad too fast as the giant paw on his torso pressed down harder.
No complaint left his lips, however. Naruto was just happy that the creature hadn't turned him into paste… yet.
The giant feline's eyes narrowed in response. "By whom?"
Electrical chakra began to pool up in Naruto's hand as he placed it against the soft pads on the underside of the creature's paw. "An ANBU of Konohagakure, Jaguar 2-1."
The creature's eyes widened, before it looked away, apparently in thought.
It was all the opening Naruto needed.
It was almost ludicrous that the beast didn't sense the incredible amounts of lightning chakra he had summoned up, and it was incredibly lucky that Jaguar had decided to expand on his strangely mutated control over a notoriously finicky element.
He pressed his right hand firmly against feline's fleshy pads, and discharged it all.
The effect was immediate. Literal shockwaves of pure white electricity tore through the feline's entire body like a lightning rod. The giant cat reeled back, its facial features contorting weirdly and its huge limbs spasming as tens of thousands of volts of electricity shocked through its body. A rather bizarre wheeze left its throat as it slumped to the jungle floor, and Naruto immediately bolted.
His form flickered, sifting away into streaks of ash and cinder as he utilised the body flicker technique repeatedly, only coming to a pause just after he nearly splattered himself against a tree.
Panting softly, the boy sank to his haunches against the smooth bark and let his head conk back against the tree. His body was on fire, and he swore he could feel the cells in his body committing suicide one by one as his muscles cramped painfully.
He consoled himself in the fact that at least he didn't have to bother worrying about his chakra consumption…
How the hell did that Uchiha prodigy manage this? He shook his head warily, thinking of the disastrous event that had culled nearly half of Konoha's strongest clan.
Breathing deeply and heavily, the boy dragged himself to his feet. He had to get a move on.
He had packed quite a lot of juice into that touch-based technique, but it likely wasn't rated for something that weighed several tonnes. It would recover soon, and as he had already learned, the thing was damned quick.
He turned around, somewhat recovered and ready to move when a shadow suddenly stepped over him, soundless. The shape was, unfortunately, familiar.
Naruto blinked, and turned slowly.
A furious orange eye was glaring him dead in the face. The once thin, shiny coat of fur was now fluffed up and spiky, the edges singed and burnt.
"Huh…" the newly instated ANBU murmured.
…before he turned around and promptly began walking away.
He made it ten feet before his world suddenly went black.
Sometime later…
He was dropped roughly to the floor, his form fell sprawling across a bed of what looked to be dried, crunchy leaves before he rolled to his feet and immediately took stock of his surroundings.
They had travelled for perhaps half an hour after he had awoken from his… non-consensual nap.
He was miles from where he was now, evident by the positively colossal jungle tree that he was staring at, one that he hadn't been able to see from his earlier scan from the treetops.
He was stood at the base of said behemoth, in a large clearing that was littered with varying sized felines. Some were cubs, as tall as his knee and inquisitive as they approached to sniff at him only to be yanked back by their larger mothers. Others were positively huge, lounging on giant vines or branches as they stared curiously at him.
An enormous form landed in front of him from above with not a single sound, larger even than the beast that had brought him here. Its shoulders hiked up to absorb the impact and sound of the fall, before its large, scarred head came down to inspect the small boy as its long tail whipped around behind it.
It stared at him, before its eyes narrowed at the sight of the mask Naruto wore.
This looks like it's becoming a regular theme around here… the ANBU mused quietly, deciding whether or not he should just take the damned thing off.
"Why have you brought this little thing here, brother? It wears the face of Death." Its voice was low, guttural, and angry. Naruto instinctively prepared himself, his eyes that were hidden by the mask flicked towards the cubs. He may need some 'leverage' if this went south.
Why the fuck did that old cripple send me here?
He felt a shadow crawl over his form as the 'brother' to the larger panther stepped forwards and stood over Naruto. "Precisely for that reason, Akui." The creature glanced down, staring at the human beneath it. "Akemi-sama's partner gave this one Death's face."
Akui's snout curled back in displeasure, revealing ivory fangs that were as large Naruto was tall. "So you though to bring it HERE!?" The beast roared its final word, sending spittle flying as a deranged look entered its eyes. The sound shook the very air around Naruto as the boy instinctively stepped back, bumping into the giant paw behind him. "Do you seek to lead us to our graves, like our father and brother before us following that human bitch to their deaths? We are not tools for these-"
Whatever the fuming beast was going to say, it was cut off as something large, fuzzy, and white as snow wrapped around its throat like a noose. Naruto glanced up in surprise, and promptly gawked in awe. Am I even awake at this point?
Another panther, this one as albino as they came was glaring down at them all with its ruby red eyes. It was a gargantuan creature, dwarfing both beasts currently surrounding Naruto.
A category 'five' summon.
A devastating beast capable of turning the tides of war with its very presence. Konoha itself, even as one of the greatest villages, once held three, but now could boast only one of the legendary contracts. Naruto vaguely remembered Jaguar saying that those capable of summoning category fives were immediately listed as S-ranked in the bingo book, and were often called upon to combat the Bijū themselves.
Staring up into those giant eyes, Naruto couldn't help but agree with the notion.
"M-moth-er!" Naruto turned his attention back to Akui, the category three summon's eyes were bulging, the whites beginning to become bloodshot. He was strangled for a few moments more, before being roughly tossed to the side as if his weight meant nothing to the creature above.
The category five loped down from its perch, again landing with barely any sound when something of such size should have rattled the entire forest. Almost immediately, Naruto could see the lithe form of the creature before him, and the choked plea of 'mother' from Akui now made sense.
"I've told you repeatedly not to speak of ill of Akemi-chan, your father would splay your hide for such disrespect." It hissed. Its voice was soft, but thrummed with a sort of resonance that cowed every feline in the clearing.
The large, white head turned towards Naruto. The colossal panther stared at the comparatively ant-sized human for a long moment, before its snout quirked in what could be regarded as amusement. It's pink nose wriggled cutely as it raised a giant paw…
-and squashed Naruto.
Akui and the beast that had brought Naruto here looked on in shock, as did the other panthers in the clearing, before a muffled electrical burst popped out from the sides of the pure white paw as the lightning clone was dispersed. Mirthful ruby eyes turned upwards to the trees, to where Naruto had perched himself.
"Cheeky little thing…" It tutted admonishingly. "C'mere and say hello, won't you?"
Naruto restrained his urge to sigh. He was very much out of his league, it seemed.
Knowing that fleeing would result in nothing productive, he dropped lightly into the clearing, pointedly avoiding the unreadable stare of the panther behind him who was clearly trying to figure out when the swap had occurred.
The recently christened Black ANBU faced the category five, staring into its ruby eyes with an air of confidence he didn't quite feel. Somehow, he managed to remain completely still as it slumped down into a more comfortable position, muzzle resting on its paws as it studied Naruto with curious eyes.
Placing his hands behinds his back in a formal stance, he bowed his head. "Black ANBU operative 0020, designation: Panther, currently unassigned to either a Platoon or squad." He replied succinctly.
The albino beast's brow perked up, "Akemi-chan was 0019, some odd fifteen years ago…" The confusion was obvious.
"The Black ANBU program was absolved by the Sandaime Hokage at the start of the Third Shinobi War fifteen years ago before the Yondaime was instated." Naruto supplied, careful to keep his voice neutral.
The whiskers twitched in quiet thought, before it sniffed, eyeing Naruto. The question in its eyes was rather glaring. "If that is true, then why does another stand before me?"
Naruto just shrugged. He knew of his status, and what he was. Jaguar had sat him down and informed at him on the very first day, breaking his existence down to pieces and leaving no room for wayward emotions.
Whether these creatures were privy to such knowledge, Naruto knew not.
The colossal feline cocked its head to the side, pink ears perking slightly. "You do understand your predicament here do you not, little cub?"
The muscles in Naruto's back bunched up in tension as he readied himself for a body flicker. "I do."
"And you would still refuse to give answer?"
The icy-blue eyes bored into ruby red, the resolve in them as firm as a glacier. "I would."
The albino's eyes narrowed, and its muzzle edged closer. Naruto did not yield, he stood there resolutely as a mouth big enough to stuff dozens of persons his size stopped scant inches from his own face. Not yet, he murmured inwardly. She's too clos-
Naruto yelped in surprise as the giant cat snorted, in apparent amusement. The blast of hot air from its pink nostrils had nearly knocked him clean over.
"Heh, resolve like that is a welcome sight, especially these days,"
Naruto blinked. Huh?
The greater summon's eyes shifted distastefully to where her offspring was curled up by the foot of the giant tree, hiding his sore neck and sulking quietly. Her gaze turned back to Naruto. "So be it. I am Yūga. I currently serve as the matriarch of the Panther summons of Konohagakure no sato." She glanced up to the jet-black feline still stood behind Naruto. "The oh so mighty protector of our forest who brought you here is my third-born, Kettei." Her brow perked up as she took in her offspring's appearance. "Who apparently needs to relearn in how to groom oneself."
Kettei huffed softly at Naruto as the boy gave him a mediocre wave, again almost bowling the small shinobi over in doing so. He then turned his head to the side and gestured to several of the larger females who loped over and immediately began preening his fur, all of whom were staring at Naruto in curiosity.
"That brute is my second-born, Akui."
Naruto nodded at the scowling beast, unfazed by the glare he received. "Which one is your first-born?"
The clearing grew silent.
Kettei ceased his grooming, tongue still halfway through slicking his fur back into place. Yūga's eyes grew distant as she answered. "Dead." Came the monotone answer. "…along with my mate. They fell in the Great War, alongside the previous holder of the contract." Her eyes locked onto Naruto's mask. "-and that mask."
Naruto nodded slowly, Akui's disposition towards him now making some sense. His fingers reached up to trace the scars that lined the panther mask on his face.
Yūga noticed the action, a wistful look entered her eye. "Why are you here, little cub?"
Snapping back to the present, the boy glanced around. Every single slitted eye was trained on him like dozens of laser beams. Turning back to the matriarch, shook his head. "I finished the program… the only recruit, and only graduate under the tutelage of Grandmaster Jaguar 2-1. He gave me this, as my mask." A gloved finger tapped on the blackened ceramic.
Yūga inhaled softly, "Jaguar… Akemi-chan's mate?"
Naruto's jaw dropped in utter shock. Mate? Is… is this his wife's mask?
"I never saw much of this 'Jaguar'. Hokori, my mate, was Akemi-chan's personal summon, not I." She informed quietly. "However, I knew she loved him. Perhaps even enough to sacrifice herself and two of our best…"
Naruto's frowned. "Sacrificed against their will?"
She snorted fondly. "Of course not." Came the amused reply. "Hokori was pride incarnate, and Yūki, he was courage. They would rather suffer a thousand deaths than let their beloved summoner go out alone. They lived up to their names, none would doubt that." Her smile faded as she glanced at Naruto, and the mask that adorned his face. "Have you come to take more of my family from me, child of the leaf?"
Naruto bit down on his lip, his mind congested. The addition of a category five summon and several high class summons such as Kettei and his brother would be a tremendous boon to Konoha. It would be treason to hide such a monstrous war asset.
Yet… Jaguar had kept the contract with him all these years. He wouldn't have done so without the Hokage's consent.
Naruto glanced to where Akui laid, his orange eyes filled with anger and… sadness?
His eyes locked with that of the matriarch's. She was awaiting his reply.
Yes, he whispered in his mind.
"No." Was the lie that came out of his mouth.
The beasts would serve his village. He would make them, but this was a game to be played slowly…
Yūga's eyes widened. Whispers began to spread through the clearing as he stepped back, towards Kettei's motionless form. "I am a Black ANBU of Konoha. I am their hands, their eyes and their weapon. I have no other fate… but I am no slaver." Lies. I will be whatever I need to be. "If I must fight and die alone," The ashen-haired ANBU's eyes hardened as he ran through a selection of hand seals.
"-then so be it."
His hands ended in the ram seal, before he pressed his palm against the Panther mask. A glowing sealing matrix spread across the war-forged mask, and over the skin of his face too, as the summoning technique took effect.
He idly noticed Kettei rising from his haunches, mouth open to say something as Akui snarled in disbelief. However, his eyes were locked on Yūga's bewildered face as he vanished in a cloud of smoke.
He reappeared back within the tearoom in another burst of white vapour. Immediately, a frosty chill settled over the entire room, its presence seemingly dwarfing all others as the temperature dropped.
Naruto raised a hand, offering a lazy thumbs up as he let go of the breath he had been holding.
He was thankful that the summoning matrix in the mask… or in his face rather, was two-way.
Or else he might have looked rather foolish, still stood in the jungle with his hand slapped against his face.
His sight shifted, and Ghost appeared before him.
"What the hell happened?" The spectre questioned. The usual levity in his tone was remarkably absent.
Naruto shook his head, "There was a summoning contract written into the mask, a Panther contract."
The spectre seemed surprised. "Panthers? Kumo has the panther contract, not Konoha."
Naruto gave ghost a cynical stare. I knew it. You were a shinobi, you shitting liar.
Filing away his triumphant deduction, he sniffed airily in response, making for the exit. "I'm not so sure about that, I saw a category five."
"Bullshit."
The ashen-haired ANBU just shrugged. "A cat-five, two cat-three's and a bunch of smaller ones. But they won't accept the contract." The ghost turned an inquisitive glance on the child, and Naruto sighed. "The operative before me got both their previous boss and heir killed. They're… understandably a bit testy now."
He stopped suddenly, pausing as he passed by his old mask on the floor. His eyes were drawn to it, like moths to a flame. The pull was almost unnatural.
'Normally, you would be assigned to other Black ANBU trainees, to act as a team before you earn your masks…'
The pale number '1' painted onto the forehead of the mask seemed to stare at him, almost in disappointment.
Reaching up, Naruto detached the Panther mask from his face and flipped it around to look at the snarling visage.
'Have you come to take more of my family away from me?'
The sudden feeling of melancholy hit him like a freight train.
Had he truly earned this? It all felt… unfinished. He was no Black ANBU. He couldn't even hold a candle to Jaguar…
'Don't you dare bring shame to that mask.'
Stooping down, the young shinobi picked up his old mask. Ghost stepped up next to him, his featureless face watching him stoically.
"What's wrong?"
Naruto snorted softly, without mirth as he held both masks in his hand. "I can't shake the feeling that I've gotten by on technicalities." He muttered. "If Jaguar truly trusted me to wear this mask, why would he bother with his warning?
Ghost watched him for a moment longer, before his voice, devoid of its usual snarky humour echoed through his mind. "By that logic, he probably doesn't think you're ready."
Naruto nodded. "Black ANBU are supposed to pose a threat to Kage…"
There was a pause. "Yeah… maybe put your old mask back on."
It was like a punch to the stomach. The pride he had once felt was long gone, replaced instead by the rancid feeling of disappointment and self-doubt.
Was it the Hokage? The man had a fetish for meddling in everything. Naruto could remember the ANBU tailing him, day in day out at what was likely the old man's behest. He still remembered their masks, having caught at least two of them.
Weasel… the female operative, short and young. He had quite liked her. She didn't bother hiding and kept her distance. He had made it a point to always visit a stand that sold poki so she could nab her favourite snack whilst on duty. She seemed to appreciate the sentiment.
And dog… An irritated sneer crossed his features. That one-eyed, spiky-haired prick. Dog had been such a stuck up asshole.
He hadn't seen them since the Hokage had thrown him into ANBU and fed him to the wolves. Or more fittingly, the jaguar.
The thought of his now ex-mentor made him frown.
Glancing at the Panther mask for a moment longer, he clipped it to his waist as he donned his old one.
"At least now you don't have an old, used pussy on your face… not judging if you're into that though."
Naruto's eye twitched before snapped his eyes shut, closing himself off from the ether. Ignoring the flush running up his cheeks, he looked down at his gloved hands and squeezed his fingers shut. He could feel the worn, calloused skin beneath stretch like battered leather.
His cold eyes hardened in to sleets of rime.
Fuck 'em.
He made it perhaps five feet out of the door, before something occurred to him. Promptly spinning around, he marched back into the room, past what was probably a very confused spectre.
He walked all the way back into the middle of the room, removed his mask…
…and finished his tea.
Orders were orders.
Naruto emerged from the armoury, pulling the bracers on his arms a little tighter against his skin and readjusting the belt on his waist.
He felt strangely at ease, even as some odd looks were thrown his way from the regular ANBU on their way in and out of the armoury. Only the older war dogs would recognise the attire of the Black ANBU.
His form was fully encased in a matte black bodysuit, not unlike a military wetsuit. A selection of armour pieces such bracers and shin greaves allowed him some protection. Unfortunately, he bore no official rank, so he had decided to forgo the flack vest.
I probably could have taken it if I wanted to. The colour of his mask seemed to bear its own authority, after all.
Every little advantage helped, Naruto surmised as he shifted the large Fuma shuriken on his back.
His form vanished in a cascade of ash and cinder, and he reappeared in front of the door to the Hokage's office. Funnily enough, he almost felt the ANBU hidden in the shadows stiffen the moment he appeared. They were probably expecting to see the foreboding jaguar mask…
Naruto stifled a smirk as he felt the tension relax immeasurably. He couldn't help it, the old man's body flicker so damned cool. It had taken him months to convince the grumpy ANBU to teach him how to do it.
Approaching the receptionist, he nodded. "The Hokage summoned for me."
The poor girl jumped at the sudden voice. "Kami… umm, please enter right away, ANBU-sama." She replied, massaging her chest where her heart was probably thumping from the scare.
Naruto cocked a brow behind his mask, but nodded and entered regardless. ANBU-sama? Weird.
The office was the same as he remembered it five years ago. Bookshelves lined the walls, stacked high with texts new and old, cheap and expensive. A fireplace in the left wall crackled gently, the flames sputtering as embers crawled across the freshly replaced wood. The back wall was still entirely made of glass, presenting a gorgeous view of the leaf village.
Moreover, the God of Shinobi was still sat behind his desk with mounds of paperwork stacked high on far edges of the desk, likely pushed to the side in irritation. The old Kage looked up, a grandfatherly smile on his face that faltered as he took in Naruto's appearance.
That of a butcher… a finger of Death.
"Naruto-kun, you look... formidable."
The boy cocked his head to the side. Damn, it's been a while since I heard someone say my name.
He pushed the disturbing thought away and dropped to one knee with his head bowed, showing off his silky, ashen locks of spiky hair. "Hokage-sama."
There was no response for a moment, before the old man sighed. It was forlorn sound, damned, even. Did he do something wrong?
"Stand, Naruto. Remove your mask."
The boy stood, and glanced uncomfortably at the three ANBU still hidden in the room. He was surprised he could spot them, but then again, he had studied under the greatest assassination specialist Konoha had ever seen.
Again, the ANBU around him stiffened. A wave from the Hokage, however, saw them all vanish.
Nodding in satisfaction, the Black ANBU reached up and snapped off his mask, fastening it to his belt before meeting the eyes of his Kage.
The old man's eyes seemed to grow soft for a moment, before he stood, gesturing for Naruto to approach. "Good to see that old relic left your face unmarred, be a shame for the ladies."
Naruto didn't quite know how to respond. This was his Kage, why was he being shown such levity? It must be a test.
"As you say, Hokage-sama."
The old man's face fell again. A haunted look entered his eye as he glanced out the window. Absently, Naruto followed his gaze and found himself glancing at the smiling face of the Yondaime.
Hiruzen meanwhile was in a state. He had made a grave mistake. He had made such a costly mistake. Had Jaguar been erroneous in his claim? What stood before him was the quintessential Black ANBU. Hands folded behind his back, eyes constantly scanning for threats, dead and devoid of emotion, blood and murder constantly on the mi-
"Forgive me Hokage-sama, but you seem troubled."
His eyes snapped back to the boy. Black ANBU did not speak out of turn… "I am pondering something, dear boy."
The white-haired boy nodded, "My apologies-" He began, before the old Kage waved him off.
"It's fine, Naruto. I was pondering about you, after all."
There was no reaction from the boy, but it seemed he hadn't quite mastered the ability to sedate his facial features as of yet. The question in those ice-blue eyes was as clear as day.
"I was wondering if I made a mistake." He explained calmly.
Again, the reaction was miniscule at best, but still present. Maybe there was hope?
"I was told that I passed all programs and operations-"
The Hokage waved a hand, cutting him off as he nodded sagely, "Oh I'm sure you've done more than passed. Your instructors tell me that they felt like they were moulding the second coming of the White Fang, or even Black Paw Jaguar himself." The aged, wizened brown eyes turned to meet the stoic, hoarfrost blue ones. "I was referring to the theft of your childhood, Naruto. Was it a mistake, to force you into this life? That is what I wonder." He explained, turning to glance out of the window.
The boy did not reply for a moment. He walked a few steps closer, stopping short a respectable distance away. "Am I not a Jinchuuriki, Hokage-sama? My very existence is to serve Konoha as its weapon and shield." The statement was made as if it was ludicrous to think otherwise. "I fail to see what other choice you had."
Naruto could see the pain etched in the old man's eyes in the reflection of the window, a baffling notion.
"That," the old Kage began, "-that sort of thinking is what starts wars, Naruto." He turned, and gestured to the display in front of him. "Come here, tell me what you see."
Naruto complied, moving around the desk to stand beside the Hokage. He stared out over the open village, his eyes dancing across the rooftops and streets. "Konohagakure no Sato." He stated.
"Most would say that they see their home." The old Kage didn't need to see Naruto's frown to know it was there. "Your home isn't here. It is down there, deep below the earth in a dark room that could be considered for all intents and purposes, a cell." He explained.
Naruto said nothing, could, say nothing. The old man was technically right, the only time he was out of the Black ANBU barracks was to train, or conduct a mission. He couldn't name a single restaurant in Konoha… or shop, or popular gathering, or-
"I have indeed made a mistake, one I rather intend to correct." The Kage placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, and a sudden accumulation of static energy accompanied with the uncomfortable bunching of muscles beneath the combat bodysuit made him rethink his actions as he removed it.
He needed to be careful. Jaguar was correct that the monster was not yet fully birthed, however, it was close.
So, so damned close.
It was for that reason he did not immediately order the boy to divulge his secrets. About where he learned to harness the white lightning, about who had been teaching him all those years ago, about everything that had baffled him about Uzumaki Naruto for all those years.
Internally, the old Kage shook his head. It would come with time, he told himself. He was a patient man. He could yet wait longer.
Abandoning that train of conversation, he turned to face the boy. "But first…" the Hokage's eyes fell to Naruto's waist, eyeing the old, dull black mask with the number '1' emblazoned in white that the boy had been wearing.
A questioning eye had Naruto inhaling softly as he bowed. "Forgive me Hokage-sama, but…" he struggled to find the words.
"Speak."
The command ripped through him, forcing his mouth open regardless. "-I feel that my training was interrupted, and my promotion falsified."
The leaf Kage's brow perked in abject curiosity, "Do you believe Grandmaster Jaguar incorrect in his assessment?"
Naruto swallowed thickly. Time to make or break.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
There was a long pause, and then a small, satisfied smirk spread over the Hokage's lips for a split second before it vanished. He gestured to his desk, "Relinquish your mask." He ordered.
That was it then, Naruto thought. He should have known better than to expect the Hokage to ignore blatant insubordination.
Straightening solemnly, Naruto stepped forwards and reached towards his waist-
A click of the tongue had him pausing. "No not that one, the other one you stupid boy."
Naruto's eyes snapped up to his Kage, before with a breath of relief he could barely hide, his fingers moved away from his old mask.
The panther mask was set down face up with a soft thud.
The Hokage stared at him for a moment, before sniffing in amusement. "I, and the Grandmaster himself agree with you." Naruto stiffened. "I ordered your training at an end, despite your mentor's disapproval."
"Why?"
Hiruzen shrugged. "My answer would not satisfy you, not until you grow as old as I." He turned to look at Naruto. "Nevermind my reasoning, just know that you shall wear that mask one day, with the Jaguar's blessing."
Dismissing his urge to glare at the old man, Naruto nodded. "Understood, sir."
"Your designation is now 'Nix.' When dismissed, see the armourer and have him forge you a new black mask, one that is blank to represent your designation."
Naruto nodded. Nix… as in 'nothing'. Strangely fitting, I guess.
"Understood, sir."
Taking a seat in his chair, the old Kage lit up his pipe with a snap of his fingers with a casual display of elemental manipulation. "Despite this, you have still finished your conditioning and recruitment training. You may now be designated for active service, and so, you shall be."
Naruto nodded.
"The Daimyo has politely requested a meeting, and I intend to respond. You will serve as my body guard, and personal assistant."
"Understood, sir."
Naruto blinked.
Hang on a second...
Author's Notes: Yo.
As you have most likely already discerned, I decided to take some liberties with the chosen universe. I shall keep doing so, because imagination is wonderful like that. I would not hesitate to classify this as AU, although I'm not looking to spit on everything Kishimoto has built.
To clear any confusion, not a soul knows what happened on the night the Kyuubi attacked. For all they know, Uzumaki Naruto is now the registered Kyuubi Jinchuuriki.
Black ANBU are not traditionally canon. In this world, they are simply an upper echelon Black Ops unit that was deployed in times of war by the order of the Nidaime. Regarded once as the boogeymen of the shinobi world, they are now defunct.
Questions/Review Response:
Vindictive Glory: is the technique byakurai? seems oddly reminiscent of that
Not exactly, I haven't watched Bleach although I can see where the similarities may be made.
I read every review I get, so please do not hesitate to say what's on your mind.
Also, for those who did me the favour of reading these boring author notes, enjoy a little extra something-something for your troubles below ;)
Lessons with Jaguar, #1
"Do you understand the true nature of the mask I wear?" The low, drawling tone of Jaguar 2-1 was something to behold. There was so much aged wisdom in the man's monotone voice, as contradicting as that statement was.
Naruto, young and more than a little afraid nodded. "It means you're stronger than others?"
A harsh sound echoed around the room, and the snowy-haired child felt tears begin to well up behind his eyes from the roaring pain that flared up across the left side of his face as he was sent sprawling.
Jaguar, stood with his arm still raised from the backhand, watched as the child scrambled back to his feet and barely, just barely, managed to hold back his tears.
He sneered. It was still not good enough, but at least the runt was getting better. A Black ANBU did not show emotion.
As if he hadn't nearly just cracked a five-year-old's cheekbone, he lowered his hand and shook his head slowly. "Not just 'others'. Stronger than them all." He hissed violently. "We were created for nothing but carnage. Deployed when the world was up to their necks in blood, we were the monsters that grabbed the backs of their heads and drowned them in it."
He crouched down before the boy, the steel spike that had replaced one of his legs spearing into the stone as he did so. "War is primal, bringing out the worst in an already despicable world. This is a savage place, a realm of trickery, murder, conflict and sadness."
The stinging in his cheek began to fade as Naruto nodded. He had seen into the 'other place', had seen the proof that legitimised Jaguar's words.
"-but… amongst the grime, there is joy, love, loyalty and so many more virtues that justifies trying to wade through the muck."
The eyes of frost glanced back up, surprised.
"We play the part of the demons in the dark, so that the weak and the ignorant can go back to their pathetic lives." The scarred, angry eyes that peered at Naruto through the narrowed slits grew darker. "From this day forward, you are and will always be, a monster." The eyes crinkled, and something told Naruto that the cruel man was smiling. "However, you were always a monster, weren't you?"
The boy froze. Did he know about the 'other place?' Did he know about Ghost-
"Tell me, runt. What do you know of the Bijū?"
Jutsu/Techniques:
- Water Release: Water Clone Technique - Ninjutsu, Supplementary, C-rank
A technique native to Kirigakure no Sato, the ninjutsu creates a clone of the caster by infesting nearby water with the user's chakra. The clones are surprisingly intelligent, albeit fragile and possess a small amount of their creator's chakra, which does not return to the creator when destroyed prematurely.
- Lightning Release: Lightning Clone Technique - Ninjutsu, Supplementary, B-rank
A technique native to Kumogakure no Sato, the ninjutsu creates a clone of the caster by sapping the caster of lightning-based chakra and forming a volatile replica. This technique draws a substantial amount of chakra from the user, being one of the highest taxing clone techniques second to the Shadow Clone. The clones are incredibly fast compared to most clones, and are often utilised by Kumo ANBU as very dangerous body replacement fodder, as the clones explode with lethal levels of electricity upon their destruction.
- Body Replacement Technique - Ninjutsu, Supplementary, E-rank
An ancient technique of unknown origin, the user replaces or switches themselves moments before they are struck by an attack with a nearby object of similar size or weight. Although regarded as an academy class jutsu, it is notoriously known for its finicky nature. Items that don't roughly match the user in size and weight drain inordinately large amounts of chakra. More advanced users are capable of switching positions with living creatures, as opposed to mundane objects at the cost of more chakra.
- Lightning Release: Storm Giant's Thunderclap - Ninjutsu, Offensive, B-rank
A technique created by the Kumogakure shinobi known as 'Storm Giant Guuzi' during the Second Great Shinobi War; the technique is performed by clapping one's hands together after generating a large amount of electricity, sending it rushing forwards not unlike the 'Wind Release: Great Breakthrough' technique. Unlike the Great Breakthrough, the technique instead burns and fries anything caught within. Due to the archaic nature of electricity, it is best used in enclosed spaces, or against multiple spread out enemies.
- Body Flicker Technique - Ninjutsu, Supplementary, D-rank
An ancient technique of unknown origin, the user vanishes in an extreme burst of speed by fuelling their body with large amounts of chakra. It is a taxing technique that fatigues both chakra and body, the drain of which varies between distance, elevation and repetition. The chakra drain and muscular damage multiplies dramatically when used directly after another, to the point that managing four or five in a row is considered an impressive display of chakra and durability.
- Lightning Release: Beesting - Ninjutsu, Supplementary, C-rank
A technique created by Kumogakure's ANBU Capture Division, the user channels electrical energy between their fingers, sending the charge zapping across each finger in a circuit to mould chakra and thereby bypassing the need for hand seals. It is used for non-lethal neutralisation of targets, capable of stunning and rendering an average sized adult unconscious for a small period of time.