Chapter Two – Go Fish

An old man with long greying hair tied in a simple ponytail sat hunched in the corner of his room, reading through the box of scrolls feverishly, a maddened glint in his dark green eyes. Sweat trickled down his cheeks, smearing the thick splotches of black which decorated his wizened face.

"Shouta-kun?" The words echoed across the room, making him snap his head in surprise. Scrambling to his feet, he walked towards the door, almost tripping on some wire which was in the way.

"Izumi-san," he wiped the dirt off his face with the sleeve of his shirt and smiled. "What brings you here?"

"Not a social visit, if that's what you're wondering," she snapped, taking off the wolf mask she wore.

"Oh, you injure me, my dear," Shouta spoke light-heartedly and let the woman in. "Surely you know that I am past that age."

"No one is too old to love again," replied Izumi. "Have you gone through the scrolls Naruto has given you?" She sat stiffly on the only working chair left in the room, taking a peek at the scrolls Shouta was perusing only moments before.

"Almost done actually," admitted Shouta. "There was a lot of material there. The technology the Kedamono clan had was far more advanced than I could have ever imagined. If others got a hold of such information—"

"There would be hell to pay for a certain stupid old man who couldn't keep his gab shut." Izumi leaned forward, her knuckles white from clutching the mask too tightly. "There was a reason why the Kedamono clan kept such technology hidden from the rest of the world."

"A reason which I will gladly respect," Shouta answered smoothly. "I am a weapons expert, Izumi-san. I know of the dangers of an extremely powerful weapon in the wrong hands. What I would like is consent to teach Naruto the necessary skills to forge a gun of his own, once the time is right. Though the gun I've made for him is a good sturdy weapon, it lacks the special touches of a customized one, designed for his hands only. With your permission of course?"

Izumi visibly relaxed, though her expression still looked somewhat strained. "Of course, Shouta-kun. It would be callous of me to deny him of the heritage that was thrust upon him." She stood up and shook her head when Shouta offered her a cup of tea. "I must retire to my room. I fear my back was not what it used to be. She rested a hand on the older man's shoulder and smiled encouragingly. "I'm sure Naruto will be thrilled to learn that he will be able to build guns of his own. Would you like me to tell him the good news or would you rather do the pleasure?"

"I will tell him," Shouta answered after a moment's pause. "Over dinner perhaps—somewhere other than that Ichiraku store he frequents. I'm sure Umino has good intentions—treating the boy to some ramen once in a while—but he really does need more of the healthier stuff, growing boy that he is."

"True." Izumi exited Shouta's room, shielding her face of the brilliant morning light with her mask. She had always been much more comfortable in the dark.

Her feet led her to her own room, which was just besides Naruto. She allowed her lips to lift a little as fond memories of the boy filtered through her mind. She had first met him some years ago when the Sandaime had a talk with the apartment manager concerning living arrangements for the child. It was uncommon for them to see such young people in that particular district which was strewn with the elderly. The district had been especially made after the Kyuubi attack; they had realized how much of a liability the senior citizens were and placed them strategically near the evacuation areas. Of course, not all the elders lived in that district. Indeed, it was the majority of them whose families could not be bothered to support them who lived there.

When she had first laid eyes on the child, she had felt...weary. Naruto had been a bundle of energy, running around the place with such enthusiasm that it made Izumi tired by simply watching him. Later that day, she had seen him sitting on top of the apartment's rooftops, looking a bit forlorn. With the right words and some gentle needling in her part, the boy had finally admitted to his own insecurities and, indirectly, to the abuse that the rest of the villagers had given to him. Izumi was furious to say the least. She knew she had to do something to make things better for the boy.

No one would agree to be friends with him so Izumi had a talk with some of her acquaintances who, in turn, had a talk with their grandsons and granddaughters, reprimanding them for denying the boy of his right to friendship. It did not take long before Naruto finally created his own circle of friends—albeit a small one—whom he could be comfortable with.

No one would sell anything to him, and the few who did, sold items to him at an outrageous price for products which were obviously of an inferior quality. Izumi appealed to some of the tenants of the apartment who used to be seamstresses and weapon experts to provide the boy with items of a better quality. At first, they agreed to her pleas grudgingly—many of them had lost families to the Kyuubi no Kitsune after all, and old people took a long time to forgive—but after seeing Naruto's eager smiles and heartfelt gratitude at the kindness they had shown him, some of them had grown to like the boy and had later on decided for themselves to become part of the boy's life. Shouta was just one among many of them, being the first to accept Naruto when he saw that the boy treated his weapons with something akin to awed respect. The googles which the boy proudly carried with him everywhere used to be Shouta's, until the old man had given it to him when Naruto had shown an interest in forging weapons.

No one would teach him anything sensible in the Academy so Izumi took it upon herself to train the boy in the arts of ninjutsu and genjutsu. Most of the jutsus she knew were for higher level shinobi however, which prompted her to teach Naruto how to create his own array of jutsus. At that time, she had no idea that Naruto would acquire a unique bloodline of his own, so her hope was that his ingenuity with jutsus would give him something to pass down when he finally had children of his own. She also realized that his taijutsu skills were lacking and, seeing as she was not the fighter she used to be, had asked Yugao-chan, Hyosuke's grandchild, to train with the boy. Like Izumi, Naruto had given her a nickname—Hyo-chan—because of the ANBU mask she wore which strongly resembled that of a leopard.

All in all, she was pleased that many were beginning to like Naruto more and more. He may still be the village pariah but at least he no longer felt intimidated by the vicious glares sent his way. He had accepted long ago that not many people liked him because of the demon inside him. He had also accepted the fact that if he wanted others to change their opinion of him, he had to work hard to make that happen.

"Go fish," Naruto spoke, grinning foxily at Ino. They had untied her just a few moments after they entered the interrogation room, and started on a game of Go Fish, a game which he seemed to excel at. Ino made a face and drew a card from the deck, staring at her two opponents suspiciously.

Team Eleven met with their sensei on top of the Hokage Monument about an hour ago. They quickly introduced themselves to each other, with Ibiki-sensei having the least amount of information to say about himself. He was frank and direct to the point, immediately explaining about the extra exam which the jounin-sensei would administer to find out if they were worthy of the hitai-ate they wore. He took Ino to the interrogation room in the ANBU headquarters after blind-folding the girl—it seemed that until they earned their right to be called shinobi of Konoha, they were not to be trusted with information, like the ANBU's location for example.

Ino was briefed with her role in their little exam. She was to be their prisoner, carrying vital information which they would have to extract from her through any sort of means necessary. She understood the implications of Ibiki-sensei's decision. Ino was the only female in the team and therefore the "weakest" of the three, though she would not admit to this readily given the choice. She dreaded the torture—after all the man was the Head of the Torture and Interrogation Unit, certainly the name meant something?—but oddly enough, she trusted Naruto and Shino not to harm her. Not by much anyway.

She certainly wasn't expecting this. "Aren't you even remotely curious about the information?" She inquired, glaring at Shino who was nonchalantly handing Naruto a Jack.

He shrugged, "I will not torture my own teammate."

"Even if it means failing?"

"Even if it means failing, dattebayo!" chirped Naruto, dropping the set of Jacks he had with him. "Do you have a King?"

Ino grudgingly gave him two of her cards. "So what's the point of us playing Go Fish? I thought you were trying to send me a message, but I guess I was wrong. Unless I still haven't gotten the message after how many rounds of this blasted game?"

"I'm not really that good with making up cryptic messages on the fly," Naruto admitted. "And I know you won't be willing to give us the information because then Ibiki-sensei would fail you. That's how it usually works, right?"

Ino hesitated before nodding silently to Naruto's query. The truth was: if she did tell them the information, Ibiki-sensei would fail them, not her. Oh, she knew Ibiki-sensei was playing with them. She understood what the test was for—to find out if they had the potential to work together as a team—and, if her guess was correct, the three of them would fail regardless, if she did tell them the information. Either that, or he was looking for potential apprenticeships and, if Ino did tell them the information because she cared more about mission—which is basically to pass—than her teammates, then all Ino had to do was give up the information to show Ibiki-sensei that she was serious enough in her work as a shinobi, not to care about casualties. Doing that would, of course, mean that she would have to give up her relationship—however tangential it was right now—to acquire her certification as a full-fledged shinobi. The chance of this theory actually being reality was pretty slim, which was why Ino didn't linger too much on the subject. Also, even if she did pass on her own, she'd be alone, and she was uncertain as to whether or not she could handle the workload by herself.

This was all mind games, and mind games were supposed to be Ino's specialty. Problem is: I can't do anything in this situation. Ino mused unhappily. I can only rely on those two to think of a way of acquiring information without having to use me as a source.

As if on cue, Naruto threw down his cards and yawned in a rather exaggerated manner. "I'm hungry," he announced and stretched. "Come on, Shino, let's eat for now. I can't think with an empty stomach." To Ino, he said, "You want anything?"

The blonde kunoichi stared at him, wearing a drop-jawed expression of utter surprise. "What?" But they hadn't even done anything!

He leaned forward and gave her one of his trademark foxy grins before whispering, "Leave everything to us, Ino."

She could only watch as Naruto swaggered towards the door, excitement visible in his features. Shino, on the other hand, just looked as nonchalant as ever as he followed Naruto outside. Did that mean they actually knew something already? How did they do that? She hadn't even told them the information they needed!

Naruto Clone Number One—later dubbed as Nezumi for his penchant of sticking his nose in other people's business—walked self-assuredly towards the restricted area of the library, looking for all the world to see as if he belonged there. And rightly so, because he had taken the precaution to use a transformation technique, giving him the features of a non-descript man wearing the uniform of a library-nin. He knew that once he stepped into the restricted area, the library-nins on duty would be alerted of an alien chakra trespassing in their archives, so he had Clone Number Two, or Shisha, with him to distract them as much as he could. There was only one library-nin working right now, and Nezumi hoped Shisha would be enough. Naruto only made two clones to avoid being too conspicuous, and Nezumi had to make do with what he had.

He took a deep breath and nodded to his counterpart before taking a step forward. Foreign chakra washed over him, making his skin tingle uncomfortably. His eyes hastily scanned the bookshelves until he found what he was looking for. He pulled the book off the shelf and squatted behind one of the larger boxes, staying alert to his partner-in-crime's actions—the only time he could afford to stay inside that area was equivalent to how long Shisha could stay alive before the library-nin dispersed him.

He found what he was looking for after the sixth page. Behind him, Shisha yelped in surprise before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. He stood up, threw the book as hard as he could—he knew library-nins cared about the safety of their books above all else, which made the job so exacting in itself, especially if one had to fight inside a room full of books—and quickly formed the uma hand seal, followed by the tora. He smirked and bowed his head at the flustered library-nin. "Kai."

Naruto stopped in front of Ichiraku's Ramen shop and beckoned for Shino to enter. "Hello, Oji-san," he called out and settled on top of a stool. Shino allowed a curious look to occupy his normally-blank face briefly, and sat beside him. "A bowl of miso ramen please."

"Were you being frank when you said you could not think with an empty stomach, Naruto?"

"Yep!" Naruto attempted a smile, but the death-glare he received discouraged him. "Well, no, actually. It's just that, we had to go here anyway, and I really was hungry so I thought I might as well order something."

"What would you like?" Ayame inquired politely.

"Shio ramen," answered Shino, his gaze still directed to Naruto.

"Neh, Ayame-chan, is it true that you failed your genin exams five years ago?"

She flushed under Naruto's eager gaze and ducked her head. "Is there some kind of reason as why you brought that up, Naruto-kun, or were you just looking to start a conversation?" she asked politely, struggling to remain calm.

"She's right, you know," Teuchi spoke. "You don't talk to a young lady about such things—especially when they're helping their otou-san cook lunch. They might accidentally poison you after all."

"Oh." The crestfallen look on Naruto's face sent Ayame into a fit of giggles. "I just wanted to know because there's some information I need to acquire, and I think Ayame can help me in that area." He placed both hands on the wooden counter and pouted at her, "Ibiki-sensei was supposed to be your jounin-sensei, right?"

"Y-yes." A strange twinkle appeared in Ayame's eyes. Shino shifted uneasily on his seat; the killing intent emanating from the young woman's figure sent his bugs into an agitated frenzy. Naruto remained unfazed. "So what if he was?"

"Because you'll know something we don't. Tell us, where are those important documents he was hiding? He said we needed to get those documents if we want to pass, and I ain't torturing Ino even if it's a life or death situation, dattebayo!"

"He's...your jounin-sensei?" Ayame laughed and shook her head. "Alright, I'll tell you, but you owe me. Big time." She meticulously placed their orders in front of them and leaned forward, a predatory grin on her face. "Tell me, Naruto, how well do you know the Hokage Monument?"

Naruto blinked and stared at Ayame. The noodles his chopsticks held slid one by one as he continued to gape at her. "W-what about the Hokage Monument?"

"Oh, come on," teased Ayame, "you knew who did it. Officially, they couldn't pinpoint the perpetrator but it's common knowledge 'round here that you ah...added a little colour to the Hokage's faces."

His eyes flickered to his chopsticks, and he gulped, feeling sweat slide down his cheeks. "If I said yes, will Iruka come bursting inside your stalls demanding that I clean up the mess which I might have made?"

"We would never sell out our biggest costumer, Naruto. We're better than that." Teuchi faked looking hurt. "Besides, someone else is already cleaning up the mess for you. What could Iruka possibly do if he finds out now?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "A lot of...very unpleasant things. So what about the Hokage Monument?"

"Your documents are hidden there. Inside the Third's nose to be exact."

"Thank you, Ayame-chan! Shino, I need you to go retrieve the documents from the Hokage's Monument. I'll go find Fujino-san so that she can bring us back to the Headquarters." Naruto paused and made a face. "I am not about to go back to there and go scrounging for those documents, Shino. They'll probably accuse me of trying to deface the Monument again."

"For the record," Shino spoke slowly, fixing his sunglasses with steady hands, "I wasn't questioning your orders, Naruto." He disappeared in a flutter of insects, making Ayame whistle in a low appreciative tone.

"That boy's got talent with exits."

"Wish you can say the same about me, but I'm not one for exits." Naruto slid off his seat and nodded to Teuchi. "Put that in my tab, will you? I'm out of ryo right now." He jogged outside the stall and stopped near one of the intersections. "Oh damn. Shino disappeared before he could tell me where to find Fujino-san." He slapped his forehead and sighed theatrically. "Oh well. I guess I'll have to do it the hard way." His fingers formed a very familiar seal. "Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"Ara, ara, it's not every day a thousand tumbling blonds land in front of you, throwing curses right and left," Fujino spoke calmly, ruby red eyes glittering with mirth.

"Did you or did you not blindfold them before bringing them here, Fujino?" snapped Ibiki, glaring at his subordinate.

"And the words...such long obscene words. Not something you'd say to a proper lady."

"You're hardly proper. My question, Fujino? I'd like it answered today."

"Of course I did, sir," she answered in that same light-hearted tone. "It's procedures after all." She took a sip of her tea and smiled serenely.

"So why are you still here exactly?"

"To watch you as you congratulate your new subordinates and welcome them into our unit, perhaps?" She leered.

Ibiki grunted and turned his attention to the two genin watching their verbal tennis with more than a bit of interest. "I want a full report as to how you acquired the documents."

"We figured, you might have done this test before, seeing as you seem pretty confident about your test, sir, so we decided to look up some...files not normally available to the public and looked for all the other genin teams you failed. At first, I thought of looking through the Hokage's files, but after seeing his office? It's a mini-jungle in there. After the first fifty files, my clones just had to give up. So I figured, where's the next best place to search? The library, of course. We met with the former genin, Someya Ayame, in Ichiraku and she told us where the documents were hidden. Shino retrieved it after lunch and we went here as fast as we could. We were very fortunate that you hadn't changed the location, sir." Naruto spoke brightly. "Elsewise, we wouldn't have found it. By the way," he placed the box on top of Ibiki's desk and opened it, "how are these ninjutsu scrolls important exactly?"

"Do you know how to use any of them?" Ibiki asked, after recovering from the initial shock.

"Well, no, sir."

"Exactly. Knowledge is power. These scrolls are important because without them, how will you be spending your mornings training? I certainly don't have the time of day to train brats like you." To Fujino he added, "Remind me to ask one of our agents to train them in the careful art of giving out reports. I think I'm going to get a headache from his unnecessary babble."

"I am hurt, sir. Why remind you, if I could train just them myself?" inquired Fujino.

"I'd rather not, Fujino. The last time you tried to teach someone...let's just say he was mentally scarred for life."

"I was training him on the subtle art of killing, sir. He had a weak disposition. It wasn't my fault." She left her tea on the desk and shooed the two boys out of the room. When they finally left, she asked, "So, what do you think?"

"Technically, they passed." Ibiki admitted. "But, the female had not participated in anyway. She was left in the dark. I'm wondering now if I should let her pass as well. This test was about teamwork, and as far as I can tell, she didn't do anything for the team."

"Oh, but she did, sir." Fujino spoke innocently. "She didn't give away the information. She kept her mouth shut, which ensured that the two of them passed. Sometimes, it's all about trust. Isn't that what this test was supposedly about? Normally, they would have passed simply by refusing to torture her on account of the fact that she was their teammate." Her eyes hardened for a moment. "And she has a name, Ibiki. Her name is Yamanaka Ino. I'd rather you not refer to her as 'the female' ever again."

"Is that insubordination I hear?"

"No, that's a very pissed off female, you're hearing. One who does not take lightly to having her one of her potential subordinates disparaged by male sexist authority figures." She grabbed her cup of tea, her face slipping back to its polite mask. "Just think of it this way, sir. They exceeded your expectations. Surely that would merit for something?"

Ibiki watched Fujino leave and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why am I surrounded by such strong-willed women?"

A/N: In this fanfic, Naruto never got caught defacing the Hokage's Monument. He had better teachers after all. Oh, and a thumbs-up to anyone who can tell me which anime Fujino's in.

I know it's shorter than the first chapter. I'll try to keep it longer next time. Updates, as usual, will be notified in my Bio.

Japanese names:

Nezumi means rat.

Ookami means wolf.

Kedamono means beast.

Hyo means leopard.

Shisha means casualty or messenger.

Uma means horse.

Tora means tiger.