Disclaimer: Still don't own it!

Volume One of the Sinners and Saints Trilogy.

Rating: M, for violence and sticky situations.

Setting: Author's Universe.

Aurthor's Note: Um, it would be nice to get a beta reader... I always miss the most simple spelling errors and such. I guess it's just a horrible habit I have. Anyways, I'm sorry it took so long to write this chapter. I struggled to keep focus, I kept wanting to write the parts after this chapter. It's sort of just an insight into Naruto's life. Just a small one. Anyways, tell me anything you think might improve it. Thanks and review!

Volume One - Revealing

Chapter Two: "Naruto Uzumaki"

"Think that you've worked it out, then BANG! Right out of the blue, something happens to you to throw you off course... and then you break down." – Jem "Just A Ride"

Naruto Uzumaki stretched, feeling the sore muscles in his back whine as they woke from a long night of restless sleep. Yawning loudly, he yanked the sheets back and stumbled across his room.

He stopped in front of his mirror and scratched his head. His clear blue eyes were still hazy from sleep and his bright blonde hair was a mess of tangles. His white shirt was wrinkled and his boxers were hanging slightly off his hips. He rubbed his face, his hand sliding over the whisker-like scars on his cheeks.

He blinked a couple of times before walking out his room and into the small hallway. His eyes fell on the door facing him. Closed and locked shut. Naruto sighed and trudged down the hall towards the staircase.

Walking down the stairs, he saw Sai sitting on the couch. He was bent over his sketchpad, slowly and carefully drawing black lines with his paintbrush. Naruto grinned and hurried down to the living room.

"Morning, bastard." Naruto grinned as Sai glared up at him from his sketchpad.

Sai was strange. There really wasn't any other way to describe him. His lack of knowledge on human emotion made talking to him uncomfortable, and he didn't have a large range of facial expressions. But that never really bothered Naruto, he had gotten used to it over the years. They were close, in the sense that they understood where the other one came from. They were both living a life they hardly knew.

"You didn't do the dishes last night. That's what people call lazy." Naruto growled as he lumbered towards the kitchen to see the damage. He stopped in his tracks as he got a glimpse of the sink.

"There is no way I can do this by myself!" Sai appeared behind Naruto, taking in the sight of the towering piles of plates, cups, and bowls. A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips, but he remained expressionless.

"You dirtied most of them, so it's only fair." Naruto glared at the sink.

"You're helping."

"Forget it, there's no way I'm helping."

"But why?" Naruto pouted as he chased after Sai, who was retreating back to the couch.

"Because it's your turn and I have no pity whatsoever."

"You're heartless," Naruto whined as Sai continued his painting.

"I'm not heartless. I just have no sympathy for your lack of responsibility." He faked a sweet smile. "And neither does Sensei." Naruto frowned.

"Where is that old pervert anyways?" Sai shrugged.

"He left early this morning, before I was awake. He left a note on the kitchen table. Read it, if you're interested," Sai replied coolly. Naruto looked back down at him.

His short, straight black hair was combed and extra shiny this morning. His coal, onyx eyes were fixated on his painting. His nimble fingers wrapped around the brush, his eyebrows knitted together in concentration, and his tongue slightly poking out from habit. Even though he didn't act like it, Sai was just as human as the rest of the world. Naruto sighed and walked back into the kitchen.

There, in the center of the table, was a single piece of paper. Obviously Sai had cleaned the table off earlier. Nothing was ever this clean in this house, but then again, Sai had never cleaned before. Who knew he was a natural?

Naruto, Sai,

I had a meeting. Good job on the mission last night. We'll have dinner to celebrate, my treat.

Kakashi

P.S Naruto, you didn't do the dishes last night. Do them now or else you'll feel a thousand years of pain...

"Teh, whatever." Naruto tossed the note aside and looked over at the overly filled sink. He swallowed. This wasn't going to be fun.

Naruto's hands were prune-y, wrinkly, and disgusting. Staring at them as they rested on his lap, Naruto truly wondered why he put so much effort into dishes. It wasn't his usual nature to actually care about getting the dishes down but he didn't even want to know what "a thousand years of pain" was like, so he sucked up his pride and tackled the task.

Sai poked his head into the kitchen, glaring at Naruto with shadowed eyes. "We're late." Naruto's head snapped up to the clock. His stomach flipped.

"It's your fault! Why didn't you tell me?" Naruto jerked up from his chair, sending it screeching backwards. He darted up the stairs, two at a time, and skidded into his musty bedroom.

Hurrying to rip off his shirt, Naruto yanked a clean one off his chair. Pulling it over his head, he stumbled to his dressed and grabbed a pair of orange pants. He shoved his legs through the holes and hurried to fasten the button. He pushed his arms through his matching orange jacket and zipped it up to his throat, the white collar coming up to his chin.

Not giving much thought to what he was looking for, Naruto threw his dirty clothes around in a frenzy. He kicked through piles of books, scrolls, and empty containers of Ramen. His eyes darted around, trying to spot his tan pouch among the clutter of useless junk. Sai appeared in the doorway, a sarcastic smirk portrayed on his pale face.

"It's right in front of you." Naruto stopped in his tracks and stared between his feet. He growled and scooped up the slightly bulky pouch and then spun around towards Sai. He grinned challenging, his eyes narrowed into defiant slits.

"Race you!" Sai was off before Naruto had time to finish his sentence. Naruto jumped the stairs and landed with a soft thud at the bottom. Sai was already out the door and down the street by the time Naruto zipped through the living room. Slamming the door behind him, he quickly darted across the lawn and down the sidewalk. Naruto sped up, gaining on Sai as they bolted around the corner.

The breeze felt good against Naruto's face. He closed his eyes, listening to the sound of his breathing. He could hear his pulse in his ears, but he didn't slow down. He was burning with energy as his legs kept speed with Sai. He breathed in through his nose, controlling his breathing as he pushed himself to go faster. There was no way he was going to loose to Sai.

They ran side by side, both of them occasionally bursting into a sprint, trying to loose the other. Naruto playfully shoved Sai off the curb into the street, which earned him a shove back, almost running straight into a mailbox. Naruto whooped with surprise and darted out of the way, barely missing it by an inch. Sai smiled, speeding up as he crossed the street to the next block. The park was just up ahead. Naruto narrowed his eyes and picked up the pace, his feet hardly touching the ground as he gained on Sai.

Sai glanced over his shoulder, glaring darkly. Naruto stuck out his tongue. With a growl, Sai sped up. Naruto grinned. He was already on Sai's heels and was pushing himself even faster.

He was slightly sweating by the time they bolted into the entrance of the park. Sai was ahead, but Naruto still had time to catch up. He tightened his hands into fists and closed his eyes as he shoved himself farther. Naruto and Sai darted separate ways as they dove into the grove of Spruces.

Shoving aside the scratchy branches of the evergreen trees, Naruto lost sight of Sai. He tensed and tried to sense where he was. He could hear the crunch of pinecones and stray leaves, the smell of pine needles and the distant aroma of smoke... and Sai's cologne. Smiling in success, Naruto was able to smell Sai was just to his right at least eight feet away.

The park was placed next to the woods that outlined the edge of the city. A wire fence was all that separated the little kiddies from the maze of trees and forgotten buildings, rotting with the passing years. Mothers would always warn their little ones to never get too close. There were far too many stories of kids venturing near the woods and never returning.

The trees sagged with age, their leaves already fallen, leaving them bare like skeletons. The smell of decaying earth was thick and fat black birds dominated the branches, watching with beady eyes. The buildings were once a series of factories that manufactured black powder, but were abandon long ago. Now they stood, their windows gone and their walls crumbling, leaving gaping holes in their sides. Naruto headed straight for it in a dead sprint, zipping past a group of four years old playing in the sandbox. One pointed and cried out in surprise.

Naruto noticed Sai bolting from the evergreens and charging across the playground, right in line with him. Gritting his teeth, Naruto leapt and grabbed hold of the fence. His fingers held tight to the thin metal as he shoved his feet into the diamond-shaped holes of the design. Forcing his body to swing over the top, Naruto landed with a dull thud and took off running without giving his now throbbing ankles a second thought.

"You're getting slow!" Naruto called over his shoulder. He heard Sai land and take off after him.

"Go to hell," Sai muttered as he slid past tree after tree. Naruto laughed loudly. The sun poured through the canopy, causing the trees to paint eerie shadows on the ground below. The shade was cool, causing a shiver to pass down Naruto's spine.

Thorns and burrs were clinging to his pants by the time Naruto reached the clearing. Several birds flew away in anger of being disturbed as he darted through a bush and slid to a stop. His chest was heaving and his nose was cold. He grinned at Sai as he emerged shortly afterwards. Sai bent over, resting his hands on the tops of his thighs.

"I won!" Naruto shouted, dancing in a circle. Sai didn't look up, but stayed bent over. Naruto cheered in victory and pranced to and fro in the clearing. Finally, Sai grunted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Too bad there's no prize." Naruto grinned widely, his eyes squinting with mischief.

"You're a sore loser, Sai." Sai rolled his eyes, pretending not to care. Naruto straightened and strutted towards the towering building in the shadows, on the other side of the clearing. Hidden among the crippled trees and spider infested bushes, stood a proud building that refused to deteriorate through the countless years.

Naruto pushed against the rough, wooden door and walked inside, with Sai on his heels. A single beam of morning sunlight pinched its way through a crack in the corner of the building, striking across the room at a sharp angle and hitting the floor in a puddle. Dust particles danced in the yellow light, falling like bits of snow. Naruto took a deep breath, a pungent stench of grim and mud filled his senses as he stepped further into the room.

This place was forgotten and set aside by society. Rumors of missing children and ghosts kept most from adventuring into the surrounding area, leaving the buildings lonely and untouched. Many had heard of tales of apparitions making home here, dragging away innocent children to their Earthly hells. A few brave teenagers dared to come here, but fled before really exploring its depth, only to tell their friends about their sightings of mysterious figures that moved in the shadows. The city was frightened of its very own haunted woods. It was the perfect place for a secret organization to make birth.

Naruto slid into the shadows and found the doorway leading into the next room. Sai followed close behind him. The soft layer of moss and mulch that overgrew the once wooden floor muffled their footsteps, making them impossible to hear as they walked through the next room. Spider webs clung to the corners, thick and white like cotton. The air was quiet, an eerie silence that seemed to swallow them both the minute they walked through the front door. Finally, Naruto stopped in front of a run down staircase.

Time had eaten away most of the steps. The railing was broken and leaning away from the stairs. It was useless, only an idiot would attempt to climb it. But that wasn't a problem for Naruto. His aim wasn't going up, it was going down.

He carefully placed his foot on the first step, testing it. He used the wall to balance himself as he leaned over and counted the steps that survived the curse of rotting. One, two, three, four...skip a step and six. He smiled and warily pushed his back against the wall, using the strip of solid wood that ran along side the stairs. He slid himself against the wall until he reach the sixth step and gently tapped it with his foot. Sai was carefully following him, not saying a single word as he watched the step intently. Naruto tapped it again, in a Morse code.

"Robin Hood and Picasso. Robin Hood and Picasso." Naruto repeated the code until a tapping responded. Both boys froze, their ears straining to listen.

"What's the password?" Sai growled as he listened to the Morse code.

"It's fucking Camel. We don't have time for this," Sai hissed. Naruto grinned and leaned his foot forward to respond.

"Camel is king." Naruto tapped back.

"Nope, try again." Naruto rolled his eyes, starting to get annoyed.

"Let us in," he barked, "You know it's us." Finally, the top of the stair gave way with a groan, revealing a dark haired man with a cigarette tucked in the corner of his mouth. His square jaw was outlined with small beard; his hair stuck out awkwardly to the side and resembled the color of a smoky night sky. His eyes playfully narrowed as he smiled at the two boys.

"You don't have to be so pushy, Picasso." Sai glowered and shoved Camel back inside, following him inside the passageway inside the broken staircase. Naruto laughed and followed after them.

"He's just mad 'cause I totally kicked his ass in a race." Camel took a drag and smiled, his eyes fogged by a thick cloud of smoke as he exhaled. Sai glared at Naruto as they piled into a narrow tunnel. Camel reached up and shut the opening and locking it.

A row of hanging lights swayed slightly as they hung in a straight line down the tunnel. The walls and floor were concrete but covered in a layer of grim. It didn't seem to have an end, but kept going on forever in the shadows. Naruto looked back up at Camel.

"You have guard duty? Alone?"

"No, Joker's taking a break. He'll be back soon." The skinny cigarette wiggled up and down as Camel spoke. The end lit up as he took another drag, slowly eating away at the tobacco inside.

"We need to hurry," Sai reminded Naruto. Naruto sighed and nodded. They said their goodbyes to Camel and took off down the tunnel in a jog.

"Keep out of trouble, Robin Hood." Naruto gave him thumbs up and dashed after Sai.

Codenames were essential here. Everyone had one, and sometimes, they had more than one. Naruto only knew Sai and Kakashi by their real names, and that was only because they were on the same team. It was a way of life, to protect your identity. It was difficult at first, when he was six years old, but now it was second nature. The minute he climbed through the secret doorway in the staircase, he became Fox Tail. And Naruto Uzumaki waited patiently outside.

The main tunnel led to other tunnels, tangling together in a labyrinth that only someone who was trained to know exactly where each led could find their way. Anyone else would loose themselves completely inside the underground maze. Luckily, Naruto spent over half his life inside these walls and knew them by heart. He barely gave thought as to where he was going, but simply jogged down each tunnel with a silly grin.

"Hey, hey! Slow down!" Naruto glared at the Sai's back as he turned the corner. Sai ignored him (or pretended to) and kept running in a steady pace. Naruto glowered and picked up his speed, his footsteps bouncing off the walls and echoing down the tunnel.

He turned the corner and came to a sudden halt. There, standing in their way, was China Doll. A slender girl with chocolate eyes, China Doll was the same age as Naruto and Sai. They had met her during their training years, but never really knew her that well. She had her own team, her own secrets. It was strange, all these years, and Naruto only knew her by her code name. But then again, she only knew them by their code names too.

She had pale skin and brown hair, pulled back into two buns like panda ears. Her tiny chest was wrapped in a shirt styled like a kimono and she wore the standard Capri pants. Naruto stared at Sai, who was staring back at him.

"Uh... China Doll?" Her head snapped up, as if just realizing they were standing there.

"You're late, so they told me to wait for you to... tell you something happened." Naruto's throat tightened. He knew what was going to be said next. Someone died, someone close. It was how everyone started when they were going to tell you someone close to you was dead. Naruto stood straight, preparing himself for the worst. He noticed Sai had tensed as well.

"What is it?" Sai asked. Naruto's hands were clenched and his eyes were fixed on her. China Doll sighed and leaned against the wall, cradling her face in her hands. Naruto frowned. This wasn't good if it hurt her too.

"Mawen ish dad." Naruto raised his eyebrows. Her palms had muffled her voice, obscuring her words into something incoherent.

"What was that? I didn't catch it." Sai stepped forward. His expression wasn't worried or concerned, just slightly confused.

"Merlin is dead!" Naruto's heart stopped, for what felt like a solid minute. No way... The words hadn't even sunk it, he refused to believe what his ears were yelling at him. There was no way Merlin was dead. Merlin couldn't be dead. He couldn't... be dead. Naruto swallowed and took a step back, trying to organize his thoughts, which were currently a tangled mess.

Merlin was like a grandfather Naruto had only seen in movies. He looked after him, treated him like a normal boy, and might have even loved him. Naruto clenched his hands into fists, his nails digging into the soft flesh of his palms. His teeth gritted together painfully, his jaw tight and his eyes stinging with tears. Merlin was more than his boss, more than the leader of their organization, he was like family. Family Naruto had never known.

"When did this happen?" Sai asked calmly. China Doll's eyes were brimming with silvery tears, which she quickly wiped away.

"Two days ago, but they kept it quiet until they organized everything." She pushed herself off the wall. "That's what the meeting was about, to explain what was going to be done." Naruto glared at her.

"What happened? How did he die? Was he killed?" China Doll coughed slightly and looked away uneasy.

"All Sailor said was there was a distress call and Merlin responded, and ... well, it was fatal." Naruto scratched his head.

"But that doesn't sound right. Merlin can handle just about anything!" China Doll flinched from Naruto's yelling, but he didn't care. He wanted answers.

"Where's Sailor now?" China Doll glanced over her shoulder.

"I think he's with the other sensei." She looked back over her shoulder. "But they're in the middle of a meeting, so you're going to have to wait." Naruto nodded, still trying to wrap his mind around the idea of Merlin being dead.

Sailor would tell him the truth, Naruto was sure about it. Sailor was just like Merlin, one of the few people who actually treated him like something more than an annoyance. Sailor was the reason Naruto was even standing here. If he hadn't saved Naruto from that orphanage, he probably would still be there, dreaming of getting out.

"Is that all the meeting was about?" Sai asked after a pause. China Doll turned towards him, playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Basically." Naruto sighed, not sure what to say or do. How could this be true? There was no way Merlin was dead, he was too strong!

"Robin Hood, Picasso, did you just get here?" Naruto perked as soon as he heard his voice. He turned around and smiled at Sailor, who was looking at him with a grief stricken face.

Sailor was still a young man, but the scar across the bridge of his nose made him look years older. He had brown hair with matching brown eyes and wasn't as tall as the others his age, but still intelligent. He taught most of the young agents. He explained basics and rules, which were life-savers in most cases.

"Is it true? Is... Merlin dead?" Naruto tried not to sound like a little kid, but his voice cracked anyways. Sailor stuffed his hands in his pockets and refused to meet him in the eye.

"Yes, it is." Grief, anger, and confusion all began tugging at his heart, making it feel as if it were about to rip into pieces.

"Are you alright?"

"Who did it? Who killed him?!" Sailor put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I know you were close to him, closer than most. Come with me and I'll tell you everything."

Inside Sailor's classroom, Naruto seated himself at a desk. It had been years since he'd be in here, leaning all the basics of surviving. Sailor had been more than a teacher to Naruto though, he had been a friend.

Sailor leaned his back against his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes fell to the floor. "The distress call was a fake. It was sent by the underground organization called 'Oto', lead by a man named Orochimaru." Naruto turned away. He had heard that name before. Everyone had, but he had never been a real threat to the agency – until now. "The distress call was anonymous and the signal was traced to a warehouse on the other side of the city. Orochimaru waited for Merlin there, to kill him." Naruto winced at the last words.

"Why didn't someone go with him?" Sailor's face fell, his eyes closing for a moment.

"Others did go, but they passed away also." Naruto felt his throat swell. This Orochimaru had taken away a very important person to him, he had just hit the agency below the belt. He would get what was coming to him, Naruto would make sure of that.

"Are they investigating where this bastard is so we can tear him a part?" Sailor sighed and met Naruto's eager gaze.

"Yes, of course. The best of the best is searching for answers right now." Sailor hesitated, obviously thinking of way to word what he was going to say next. "Listen, I don't want you... to be irrational." Naruto sneered. "I don't want you pestering the agents either. I know you want to take revenge, but we have to do this in a safe manner. No running into the enemy's base like a mad man, got it?" Naruto grunted, looking away stubbornly. His stomach turned as a thought pinched his mind.

"Who's in charge now, who's the new boss?"

"Gamer." Naruto's jaw dropped, his clear blue eyes wide.

"No way! Not that grandma! All she does is gamble!" Sailor chuckled, soft and warm just like Naruto remembered from growing up.

"She's the best suited for the job. She's very passionate about the agency and all its members. We're very lucky she agreed. I heard it took quite some persuading."

"By persuading, are you talking bottles of sake?" Sailor laughed again, his head tilting back slightly.

"Don't let her hear you talking that way about her, she'll drop kick you in a second."

Naruto left Sailor in his classroom and walked down the tunnel, feeling in a daze. Merlin was dead. It still didn't feel real, it wasn't something he could easily believe. Was he really dead? Did this chump Orochimaru really kill him? He would have to see his body to really believe this, it was just too much for his mind to wrap around.

Naruto looked up in time to see his sensei, Kakashi, turn the corner. His mood immediately picked up a little as he chased after the older man. "Sensei! Sensei!" Naruto turned the corner and collided straight into Kakashi's chest.

"I'm in a hurry, what is it?" Naruto raised his eyebrows.

"You? In a hurry?" His sensei narrowed his mismatched eyes. Kakashi was an odd man. He worse a mask on his lower face, hiding his facial features from everyone. His silver hair was parted to the side and stuck up in an arrangement of messy tangles. But he was mostly known for his eyes; one black, one red.

"There was a distress call." Naruto's heart plummeted into his stomach.

"Are they sure it's not a fake?" he asked, warily. Kakashi sighed.

"What do you want?" Naruto sighed and looked away.

"Nothing." Kakashi patted Nartuo's head playfully and vanished down the tunnel. Naruto decided he had enough of this place for one day, and headed for the exit.

Naruto laid still on the ground, watching the clouds slowly drift past him. He closed his eyes, feeling the sun's heat on his face. The grass tickled the back of his neck, but he didn't move to scratch at it. The itch would only get worse.

He sighed and sat up, hugging his knees to his chest. He felt extremely sluggish today. His muscles didn't have any energy at all, but just running on empty.

He looked down the hill, watching two kids throw a ball back and forth. The boy leapt and caught it just barely, landing to the ground in a tumble but still smiling proudly. Naruto smiled. How long ago was it when playing ball was the only thing he thought about? It felt like ages. Now, Naruto's life wasn't so simple as playing ball. He was a ninja. A cold hearted, murdering, ninja.

He was brought here to learn to kill, to take down anyone who threatened the government. In the process, he had to give up his identity and live under an alias. Only less than a handful of people knew his real name, and one of them were dead.

Just the thought of Merlin made Naruto's insides boil. Whoever this Orochimaru was, he was going to pay. He was going to pay big time. Naruto glared at his feet, before shoving himself up and walking home.

The house was empty. Kakashi gone on the distress call and Sai was most likely sulking around the agency's headquarters. Naruto couldn't stand it there right now, knowing Merlin wasn't there was just... not right. It felt wrong being there.

Naruto worked his way to his room, trudging up the stairs with heavy feet. He finally made it to his door and stopped. He glanced over his shoulder, at the door across the hall. It was his door. Naruto felt himself shiver. First him and now Merlin, who else could fate take away from him?

Naruto growled at the thought of anyone else dying and slammed open his door. He struggled his away across his cluttered floor and threw himself on his bed, burying his face in his pillows. He was asleep in minutes.

"Naruto, get up!" Naruto regained consciousness, but still not registering the fact Sai was hovering over him. He rubbed his eyes and moaned. Sai shoved him. "Get up!" he hissed. Naruto finally swatted at him, glaring groggily.

"Go away, bastard." Sai sighed and yanked Naruto's collar, dragging him the floor. Naruto yelped and groped for Sai's legs, attempting to bring him down too. But Sai had jumped out of the way. "You need to hurry up, we're being called on a distress call." Naruto stood up, dusting himself off. He noticed how dark his room had gotten during his nap. Just how long was I out?

"For what?" Sai had already started leaving Naruto's room, but stopped in his tracks at the doorway. He glanced over his shoulder at the blonde teen.

"Something about a girl being attacked. Just get your stuff and let's go." Naruto looked down at his floor. A girl was attacked? Shrugging, he followed Sai down the stairs and out the door.

Here's a hint to the codenames in case your confused:

Robin Hood - Naruto
Picasso - Sai
Sailor - Iruka
Merlin - Third hokage
Camel - Asuma
Joker - Genma
Gamer - Tsunade

I tried to make them obvious... but maybe they weren't, so here's a little helper.