Tsunade sat behind her desk with a confused face, staring at the letter she had just received. It was from a man called Dumbledore, an old friend from Sandaime. Her old sensei had told his team about him a few times. That the man was a wizard, that lived in England and was one of the best men there ever was, although a bit manipulative. And in the letter she just received, he asked for help. He was willing to pay for it, a lot. He wanted a team of eight of the best shinobi she could assemble, to guard his school and help him in the war they were fighting. Tsunade sighed deeply and called a Chuunin in. It was time for Shikamaru to get working.

Shikamaru was not exactly happy when he was briefed on his next mission. Guarding a school for three years?! Not exactly his ideal dream job. So he grumbled on in his mind, clearly unhappy. He wouldn't be able to see Ryu for three years, he would actually have to work.

After a while, Tsunade decided she had had enough of him. "Nara Shikamaru. You are the leader of this mission. You have one week to assemble all the members, then another month to prepare them for the mission. Pick the best ones you can get for this one, it is important."

After those words, a slow smirk started to form on Shikamaru's face, one that made Tsunade a bit uncomfortable. Shikamaru grinned. "The best I can get you said, Tsunade-sama? Well, I have at least one in mind, but you'll have to contact Kirigakure for that."

Tsunade rubbed her temples. She just knew he was going to say that…

It was already late when Ryu and her team swept through the tower of the Mizukage on the way to his office. Other shinobi in their way quickly made way, impressed by their speed and warned by their masks. They were a squad of the elite ANBU, extremely loyal to their leader, and the elite under the shinobi.

Ryu grumbled under her dragon-mask. The seventeen year old girl and her companions/teammates since the start, Kazuki and Isamu, had been away on a long assassination mission, and had just reported in at the ANBU-headquarters when the summon from the Mizukage came. Isamu sighed at her grumbles. "Ryu-chan, could you please stop grumbling. It is killing our reputation as emotionless shinobi."

Ryu glared at him from the corner of her eyes. "Once I've had a warm bath and put on clean clothes, I'll agree with you. Now shut up, and keep moving."

Isamu glared back, then chose to keep his mouth shut. Kazuki sighed deeply. "Ryu, you are lazy, and you're not the only one who isn't happy with this. Don't forget we were on the same mission as you."

Ryu sighed deeply. "Sorry, I'm just tired and get grumpy."

The other two accepted her apologies, and sped up. As they neared the door to the office, they slowly slowed down their speed, and stopped completely right in front of the wooden doors. Kazuki threw a glance at Isamu and Ryu, then stepped forward to knock on the door.

"Enter."

As the voice gave them permission, the three ANBU entered the Mizukages office. The Mizukage looked up from the documents on his desk and smiled as he spotted the three masks. "Aah, Dragon, Horse and Badger. How good to see you have returned. I take it that the mission was a success?"

The three bowed and nodded, and the Mizukage shooed away all the other people that were in the room. He turned back to them as soon as the door closed. "Good, you can take off your masks now, Ryu, Kazuki, Isamu."

Kazuki was the first to rip off his horse-mask, followed by Isamu with his badger-mask and finally Ryu took off her dragon-mask. She frowned at the Mizukage. "Is there a reason why you called us here, Mizukage-sama? We just finished our mission and I believe we had at least two days off before the next one."

The Mizukage nodded and waved with a scroll. "That is true. But yesterday I received this request from the Hokage."

"Request?" Isamu raised one eyebrow. Although the relations between Konoha and Kirigakure were very good since the first invasion of the Sound, and their team also often pedaled between the two villages, it was still strange for one village to call in the help from an ANBU-team from an other village. The Mizukage nodded again. "Yes, a request for especially your team." He glanced at Ryu with a grin on his face. "Although that isn't too surprising."

Ryu felt a small blush coming on her cheeks and Kazuki grinned. It was a public secret under the ANBU and most of the Jounin that Ryu had a relation with a shinobi, named Nara Shikamaru, from Konoha, since the time they went there for their first entry in the Chuunin Exam.

The Mizukage talked on. "She requested for your team, Ryu, to be send to Konoha for the duration of about three years. It seems someone has requested you for some sort of guarding mission of some weird school, and the rest of your team could be useful for handling missions. So, what do you say?"

Actually, he didn't even need to ask. All three men in the room knew that Ryu would take any mission that would bring her to Konoha, and this one probably meant that she could spent three years with Shikamaru. So Isamu rolled his eyes, Kazuki inspected his nails and Ryu raised an eyebrow. "Do you really feel the need to ask about that, Mizukage-sama?"

With a grin threw the man a scroll at them, then shooed them from his office. "Good. Now get a good nights rest and pack your stuff. You're expected in Konoha in three days."

Tsunade looked up in surprise when the door to her office opened and three cloaked figures entered after one of her Chuunin. The Chuunin was obviously shaken, or at least afraid of the three, and Tsunade raised one eyebrow. Then she spotted the three masks. Dragon, Horse, Badger. Blue on white masks. Kirigakure ANBU, famous for the many assassination and how good they are at it. Kirigakure-shinobi always had already a reputation as fearsome fighters. Bloodthirsty.

But Tsunade had no reason to be afraid of these three, not only that she for a fact had called for them, but also that she had seen them often. She nodded at them as the Chuunin nervously stood next to her desk. "Dragon, Horse, Badger. Welcome to Konoha and thank you that you were willing to take this mission."

Dragon snorted and her female voice came muffled from behind her mask. "As if we wouldn't come. By Kami, why else would you have asked for our team?"

Tsunade waved the Chuunin, who was still standing next to her desk, out of the office. She them turned with a grin to the three. "That was quite right of you, Ryu. But I wasn't the one who asked for you."

"Nope. That was me." The familiar lazy drawl of Nara Shikamaru spoke from the shadows, and he stepped into the light. "Hi Ryu-chan."

The ANBU ripped off her mask and tackled the other. "Shika! It's so good to see you!" She then proceeded to hug the life out of him.

The other people in the room sweatdropped at her reaction, and Tsunade rubbed her temples. "I need sake. Okay you two, cut it out. Ryu, you are needed for a guarding mission. Isamu, Kazuki, you will be a part of the Konoha ANBU for the time being, and switch between our Villages these coming years. We have prepared an apartment for the three of you. Kazuki, Isamu, you can go there now, a Chuunin will lead you. Ryu and Shikamaru, stay here for the briefing. Shikamaru, have you assembled the rest of the team?"

Shikamaru nodded, and soon after Isamu and Kazuki had disappeared, and a knock sounded on the door. Shikamaru looked up. "That would be my team."

The door opened to let Neji, Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, Tenten and Sakura in the office. All were dressed in normal clothes, and first looked strangely at the ANBU in the room, but waved as soon as they recognized her. Tsunade waved them over, motioned them to sit down and started the briefing. "Okay, you all have a long mission ahead of you. You will be guarding a wizarding school in England for three years, maybe a little longer. Shikamaru is the team leader, he will appoint his second hand. Alright, Shikamaru, you take over."

Shikamaru nodded and walked in front of them all. "Right. Now, I want to know who of you can speak English."

Neji, Hinata, Sakura and Ryu raised their hands.

"Who speaks it fluently?"

Only Ryu's hand remained in the air.

"Alright. Ryu will be our team speaker, and the second in command. As Tsunade-sama said, we will be guarding a school full of witches and wizards, and it also seems they're in the middle of some war. We're also to help with that. As preparation for the mission, all of you must be able to speak at least a little English, and we will study that school. Further information we will receive once we have arrived. Any objections?"

Nobody said anything.

"Good. We have one month. Assemble tomorrow at eight o'clock just outside the Hokage Tower. We will start then. And already start packing. Don't forget winter clothes and such, we will be there for three years." Shikamaru sighed. "Dismissed."

Everybody filled out of the office, followed as last by Shikamaru and Ryu. Ryu had put away her mask and taken off her cloak, revealing the ANBU tattoo on her upper arm, just like Shikamaru and all other ANBU had. She smiled at Shikamaru. "Long time no see, eh, Shika? I'm glad you remembered me for this mission."

Shikamaru smiled and put his arm around her waist, pulling her a bit closer. "You think I could ever forget you?"

Ryu grinned, and sighed as the two of them walked through Konoha. Several shinobi greeted her and Shikamaru as they went down to Ichiraku, ready to have a nice meal together and to catch up with each other.

A month had passed, and the entire team of eight had been studying, training, sparring and overall preparing for their mission. The most of them had been very skeptical about magic, but then Shikamaru had explained that it was just a thing like chakra, only not molded and used in an other way.

They were now assembled in front of the Hokage, all packed and everything ready. Tsunade sighed and pulled a wooden puppet from her desk. "Okay everybody. Touch this puppet, it will take you to your destination. Remember that you represent our Village, so do it proud."

All masked ANBU nodded and crowded together, touching the puppet. Tsunade sent a bit of her chakra to the puppet, and the thing started to glow. Ryu cursed. "Holy shit, what the

he-"

Tsunade snickered as the cursing was broken off by a blinding light, and all eight shinobi had disappeared from her office.

Language change

Dumbledore sighed deeply as he and Sirius waited for the guards to arrive. He had been thinking very hard after Harry had told him that Voldemort was back on how to protect the school, when he suddenly remembered his old friend Sarutobi. He had heard he was dead and that his student had taken over his job, but he thought to himself that shinobi would be the perfect guards for Hogwarts.

So he had send the letter. And the student had answered. Her name was Tsunade, and she had promised him an eight man team of the elite shinobi, if he could pay for that. He could, so he had agreed. And now, after almost two months since he had sent his letter, the team was to arrive. In the middle of the night, at Grimmauld Place. That was why Sirius was with him.

Suddenly a golden light appeared, and then with a bright flash eight people appeared.

Ryu blinked her eyes as they had ground back under their feet. The team had landed in a defensive position, not knowing who or what was out there. When she could see again, she spotted two people, two men, oddly dressed and looking surprised. One had a long beard and clear blue eyes, and the other had black hair, and looked a bit underfed. With a sigh she walked forwards, switching in her mind to English, speaking with only a little accent in her own laid back voice. "Good day, gentlemen. I assume that you are our client?"

The man with the beard smiled. "Yes. My name is Albus Dumbledore. I assume that you are the team leader?"

Ryu smirked under her mask, then shook her head. "No, I'm not. I am Dragon, the second in command. I speak for us all because my English is the best of us. Deer is the team leader."

Dumbledore nodded smiling. "So Dragon is your shinobi name? And your normal name?"

"I don't have any orders to tell you that." Her voice was clipped and cold. Dumbledore raised one eyebrow at the sudden change in her voice, while the other man could only gape at her. Ryu pointed at him. "And who is he? He didn't hire us."

"My name is Sirius Black." The man threw her a sharp glare. "This is my house, so I can be anywhere I want here."

Dumbledore interrupted Sirius before he could become angry. "I have permission from the Hokage to see your face and know your name."

That made Ryu only snort. "The Hokage can actually give no such orders to me, but for this time I will comply." She removed her mask, looking straight in Dumbledore's' eyes. "My name is Monotachi Ryu, Kirigakure ANBU-squad leader under the command of the Mizukage."

Dumbledore looked surprised at her face. "So young? How old are you, my child?"

Ryu scowled darkly. "I am not your child, client. I am seventeen, turning eighteen soon, sir. But I have been trained my whole life as a shinobi."

Sirius frowned. "So young and then as guards? I don't know, Albus."

"Are you doubting our training, our abilities?!" Ryu glared fiercely at the man. "Listen, asshole, I made my first true kill when I was eleven years old. We are trained for that. We are the elite of the elite. So shut your mouth or I may very well burn it closed!"

Sirius took a step back from the girl, and Shikamaru took one step forward grabbing her shoulder. "Excuse my subordinate." He took off his mask. "She doesn't like it to be underestimated." His accent was heavier then that of Ryu. "My name is Nara Shikamaru, the team leader of this mission and ANBU under the command of the Hokage. You can call me Deer."

Shikamaru quickly signed some orders, and the others stepped forward. Neji went first. "Hyuuga Neji. ANBU-squad leader under the command of the Hokage. Call me Hawk."

The others followed.

"Tenten. ANBU under the command of the Hokage. Call me Tiger."

"Hyuuga Hinata. ANBU under the command of the Hokage. Call me Mouse."

"Uzumaki Naruto. ANBU-squad leader under the command of the Hokage. Call me Toad."

"Uchiha Sasuke. ANBU under the command of the Hokage. Call me Raven."

"Haruno Sakura. Part-time ANBU and Medic-nin under the command of the Hokage. Call me Boar."

Dumbledore smiled at them all and nodded. "Very nice to meet you all. We will show you your rooms after your job description. You will be guarding the school Hogwarts, a school for young witches and wizards. We are fighting a war against an evil lord who has returned last year." He then proceeded to explain the Ministry and everything, about that they would have to watch out for some woman named Umbridge, also about the Order of the Phoenix, and that they might be asked to help out with them sometimes. "So it will be your job to ensure the safety of the students."

Ryu and Shikamaru nodded, and Ryu glanced at the others. "If you have one moment, Dumbledore-san, I will translate your story so the other will absolutely understand it."

In a few short sentences she explained what Dumbledore had told. The others nodded, and they all placed their masks back on. Ryu turned back to Dumbledore. "We are ready for the mission, Dumbledore-san. Do not worry, for it is our job to protect your students, and die for them if necessary as long as our mission continues."

The man nodded and smiled again, then turned to Sirius, who had been staring at Ryu and the others after she had said that they would die for the students. "Sirius, could you take them to their rooms?"

Sirius nodded and motioned for the masked people to follow him through the house. They walked through the hallway, finally stopping in front of four doors. Sirius waved at them. "These four rooms are for you. You will stay here for another two weeks, before you'll go to Hogwarts. Have a good night."

They bowed and quickly split up in four pairs of two, to the surprise of Sirius all without talking and with only a few shared glances. And a few seconds later the hallway was deserted, leaving him in his own thoughts.