Hey my loyal readers, soulful here. I hope you're enjoying everything!

Please note: pain17ification doesn't own Naruto and neither do I.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Higher Being Speech"

'Higher Being Thoughts'

"Jutsu"

(Technique Translations)

Scene Shift

Chapter 6: Trial Run

Training with Anko was…interesting.

Painfully, painfully interesting.

A roar of sound filled the air as a large fireball raced towards a dark cloaked man. Twisting his body to evade the flaming sphere, which licked the cloak covering his scarred and seal-covered body, he growled. He flew through handseals and released a wave of wind in retaliation to his opponent's attack, successfully pushing her back a few feet before the chakra she applied to her feet stopped her.

She lowered her crossed arms from her face and grinned at him. "Not bad, Foxy. Looks like you got that one down pretty well."

The Uzumaki smirked beneath his hood with his arms crossed over his chest. "Yea, it took a little while, even with my clones helping me, but I still got it down. So, what do you say we kick this up a notch, Anko-chan? I win, I get a prize of my choosing."

The Snake Mistress grinned a little too much like a predator and pulled out a kunai before she rushed her opponent. Ever since he removed her Curse Mark and became a Chunin, she decided to have daily spars and training sessions with the blonde. He was a tricky opponent with his on-the-fly planning during their fights, but that just made them much more enjoyable to her. Having bouts with someone whose moves were able to be read like an open book was way too boring to her.

Getting quick looks at his ass didn't hurt.

To Naruto, the spars were a great way for him to practice his growing ninjutsu repertoire and to increase his physical fitness.

Getting quick looks at her ass didn't hurt.

Anko pushed him to the edge each fight and he quickly realized that his fight with Kakashi seemed easy only because the Copy-Nin underestimated him, badly. Anko fought to her full extent and employed every move in her arsenal to test what Naruto was truly made of. While this annoyed Naruto, since it wasn't a true win in his eyes, it still showed just how far underestimation can take someone.

They were clashing their kunai left and right, twisting their bodies in various ways that would seem impossible to many. Sparks filled their vision with every clash while their grins grew and their lust for battle along with them, their inhibitions slowly falling. They jumped away from their twelfth clash and launched their ranged techniques; Anko's snakes hidden in her sleeves and Naruto's chakra chains. The chains tore into the fleshy scales of the snakes' throats and the blonde jerked his arm back, pulling Anko with the dead and wrapped up snakes. With her airborne and coming at him, he readied a kunai with an exploding tag and thrust it at her with a slightly crazed grin.

Slightly crazed.

Her eyes widened when it flashed red and an explosion rocked the training field.

When the smoke from the explosion died down and was carried away with the wind, Anko was seen crouched on a nearby tree branch while Naruto was left standing in the center of the field. His body was covered in scorch marks and burns but he remained standing. She was about to see if he was alright before she saw his shoulders shake and heard him chuckle softly before he erupted with laughter. The woman sweatdropped at this and was about to question his sanity before the Naruto in the field vanished in a puff of smoke and another fell out of a different tree in a fit of laughter.

'That Shadow Clone using little shit.'

She sighed in relief that he was okay before irritation set in and she bashed him on the back of his head. As he cradled his new bump, she yelled, "What the fuck is wrong with you?! You could've killed yourself with that bomb; and me as well!"

He slowly stood and turned to her with a gaze so serious that it actually made her freeze. "The thing about living and dying in battle is that you never know what can kill you until it happens. As for what doesn't kill you, it only makes you stronger and better prepared for future battles to come." He dusted off his clothes before he popped his neck and made his way back into town. As he left, he called back, "The bomb wasn't lethal, Anko-chan. I wouldn't kill you even though I have the means to."

'You're a crucial part of my plan,' he thought to himself after his words.

The Tokubetsu Jonin watched his retreating form with a slightly concerned face. His statement on living and dying was entirely true, but those were words of veterans or seasoned fighters. Not the words of a fresh Chunnin. To hear them from someone like him saddened her and she knew that he wouldn't be that way if the damned snake didn't take him. Her hands clenched into fists at that last thought.

'I may not have his damn hickey anymore, but I'm still gonna take that fucker down. He's gonna pay for what he did to my favorite gaki… Still, Naruto hasn't once gone to talk to anybody about his time in prison. I hope he doesn't plan to hold it in forever… I don't think I would want to see what'd happen when he finally snaps. I don't think there'd be a village left to defend.'

Tsunade's Office

The Godaime Hokage was looking at the dossiers of Naruto and Anko while a pile of others were neatly stacked next to them. She had an idea brewing in her mind and it had to do with the both of them. The stack was actually chosen from a few others and needed to have only one dossier selected for her plan.

The problem was that there were over twenty of them in the stack. So, it would take a while to pick one. The only thing the people listed had in common was that they were all Tokubetsu Jonin while Naruto was the only Chunin placed on her desk. Should her plan succeed, then Naruto would be promoted to Tokubetsu as well.

'Eat it you shriveled council shits.'

She just needed to pick from the stack and have a little field test.

One Week Later

Naruto was seen practicing his chakra control by holding his body with one hand while it rested atop a small lake. This was to increase his control to smaller areas of his body while also training his body's balance, killing two birds with one chakra enhanced stone. Anko stood five feet from him offering advice when he asked.

During the time she spent after the Curse Mark was removed, Anko found out that her control for her chakra, as well as her natural reserves, were hindered by the seal Orochimaru had placed on her. The mark put an unnaturally low cap on her reserves, making her body fight itself to control what it deemed was her "maximum' limit. Once the seal was removed, her body had to get used to her once again natural chakra level and control.

She now had more bang for her buck, in a lot more ways than one.

The spars she had with Naruto, whenever jutsu were allowed, helped her tremendously in fixing her hindered control. During her entire time as a Chunin and Tokubetsu, her control was only around sixty percent due to her seal. When it was removed, the control was shot to less than forty percent and she worked her ass off with Naruto to bring it back up to a reasonable fifty-five percent. It was less than what she had before, but she was working on it.

The two were interrupted from the blonde's training by an ANBU with a boar mask. "Hokage-sama wishes to see the two of you right away," he stated before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves. The two looked to each other in confusion as to what the busty Kage wanted with them, but they shrugged it off and made their way to her office.

Not even five minutes later, they arrived to see Tsunade and Shizune looking to a young woman. She had long brown hair which she wore in a ponytail with two locks of hair framing her face and large black eyes. She also had the traditional fang-like tattoos of the Inuzuka clan on both of her cheeks, in addition to a tattoo on her upper right arm that resembled a flower. She was dressed in the standard Konoha uniform and had three ninken sitting next to her.

"Hana, what are you doing here?" asked Anko when she saw her friend.

'So, I finally meet Kiba's older sister… I can see the family resemblance, but she is definitely the calmer of the two…and the sexier one,' thought Naruto as he nodded in greeting to the occupants of the room, save for Anko. "So, what did you call us for, Tsunade?"

She pulled out their dossiers and showed them to the three before she answered, "I've had this…thought brewing in my mind recently. I've noticed that while Genin Teams operate in teams of three, Chunin and above usually act solo or with a partner. So, I had a thought; why not form a special team three consisting of Chunin to Jonin for specific missions or assignments for the village? Of course, it would be difficult to get people to agree since most prefer the solo or 'single partner' style they handle missions. This is where you three come in. I want to give this idea of mine a trial run and see just how well it will work with the three of you. You all are at least acquainted with one another, so that should make it easier for you all to work together."

"What would the focus of this team be, Hokage-sama? Assault? Recon? Tracker?" asked Hana while her partners tilted their heads in wonder. Naruto and Anko stood patiently and awaited the Kage's answer.

"I want this team to focus on the Hunter-Nin and Recon aspect of the shinobi ranks. You three will capture Nuke-Nin as well as run reconnaissance missions for Konoha while also preparing for what I really want these teams to be for."

"Which would be…?" Naruto asked with a raised brow.

"I'll tell you after this trial run is over. Your first assignment is to capture this man and his associates," she answered while handing the three of them the people they were tasked to go after. The first two were easily seen as twin brothers with two differences to tell them apart. One of them had a monobrow and a goatee while the other had two eyebrows and was clean shaved. These two were known as the Legendary Stupid Brothers.

'Sometimes I wonder why certain people even exist' Naruto sighed at the pair of dimwitted bandits.

Seeing their moniker made Naruto and Anko snicker while Hana had a small smirk. They then turned to the third person and Naruto quickly supplied them with the man's identity.

"So, Mizuki was never killed off, huh? After all he did and almost did, he was only sent to prison? He went rogue for Orochimaru and nearly killed Iruka-sensei!"

Tsunade sighed at his outburst. "Yes, I know you're angry Naruto, but think of it this way; this is your opportunity to get back at him for what he tried to do. Just remember that it's preferable that he is brought back alive."

Naruto glared at the picture of Mizuki wearing a smug face and growled out, "No promises. I'll try to kill him as little as possible, after I talk to his ex-lover."

The Godaime sighed again and knew that that was the best she was going to get from him. "Very well, you three have your targets. You begin your search for them in one hour. Dismissed!"

The three gave small bows, with the ninken bowing as well, before they all exited her office.

Naruto headed off to find Tsubaki.

Forest of Hi no Kuni (Three hours later)

The three shinobi, and three ninken, were flying through the treetops in search of the last location that their targets were seen at. The town was called Crater City, an average sized town with plenty of gambling, bars, and other pleasures.

"So what did you do to Tsubaki?" Anko tried to keep the slight amount of jealousy out of her voice.

"Drank tea and gave her what comfort I could."

"W-what?" Anko almost ran into a tree.

"Hey, even I know when not to try to get my dick wet. She's still getting over that bastard and she needed a shoulder to cry on, not a guy that was trying to fuck her for information."

Anko could only sputter.

When the team had arrived, they all wrinkled their noses in disgust as the scent of tobacco, alcohol, and sweat filled the air. All six of them had heightened senses of smell, so it was much more bothersome to them.

"Okay, let's split up and look for them. Knowing the Stupid Brothers, they're most likely stuffing their faces at some restaurant. As for Mizuki, he'll be trickier to find," Hana suggested to her teammates, who nodded in agreement and went off if different directions. Each member had one of the Haimaru Triplets with them to help sniff out potential threats or leads.

Or butts if Naruto needed a cheap laugh.

Anko and her animal partner went into multiple bars but were unable to get a scent. Hana went into the casinos and gambling halls and she was just as unlucky as Anko. Naruto had decided to speed things along by resurrecting Kidomaru and having him use his spiders to look for their targets.

"Anything yet?" asked the necromancer.

"Nothing so far… Just give it a couple minutes," answered the Spider-Nin. He sat on the roof the two were perched on in concentration before he tensed and smirked. "Got two of them… They're stuffing their faces at some buffet, but the third guy's scent is lingering in the area."

"So, he's close then. Good…" Naruto murmured as he stood up and jumped back to street level ground. "Make sure that they don't get too far if they leave the city. I'll you something nice."

"Got it, Uzumaki," answered the ex Oto-Nin before he left his perch and began to circle the city.

Naruto walked up to his temporary animal partner, who was resting outside of a hotel, and motioned for it to follow him. The ninken gave a low bark in acknowledgement before he followed the cloaked blonde. Naruto then pressed a button on the radio around his neck and whispered, "Anko, Hana, I'm making my way to 'The Golden Hawk'. Two of our targets are there, and the third might be there as well. Start moving towards my position."

"Understood," was their simultaneous reply while he stepped inside of the restaurant.

Naruto couldn't help but smirk at the sight of the Stupid Brothers devouring the food for the buffet like it was nothing and discreetly pulled out two seal tags before he made his way over to them. He was nearing arm's reach before a voice called out, "Fūjin, Raijin, we're leaving!"

Naruto turned his gaze to a silver haired man wearing an open black shirt, brown pants, and black sandals walking up to the Stupid Brothers and dragging them out of the restaurant. When they were approached by an employee concerning payment for the food, the silver haired man whispered something into one of the brother's ears, making said brother grow angry and hit the surprised employee with an open palm strike. The force of the blow sent the man through the wall of the restaurant and into the blissful world of the unconscious.

'Impressive strength… But, they're not worth collecting,' thought the cloaked Uzumaki as he slowly followed his three targets out of the city. He sent his ninken partner to fetch Anko and the others and used his mental connection with Kidomaru to tell the Spider-Nin to keep them in his sights.

The ex Oto Four member mentally acknowledged the order and held his bow at the ready should he need to fire.

The Uzumaki followed the three Nuke-Nin through some forestation and brush before they arrived at a small shack near Konoha. Anko, who had rejoined Naruto with Hana and the Haimaru Triplets, recognized the area as part of the Nara Clan's private grounds. The shack was most likely a supply building for the deer that the Nara raised and cared for.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Hana as the three shinobi and three ninken hid behind a thick bush and watched Mizuki step out of the shack with a small vial of purple liquid.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the vial as he whispered, "Hana, you and the Haimaru Bros take care of the Stupid Brothers. They may have plenty of brute strength, but your cunningness and teamwork should make short work of them. Anko and I will handle Mizuki while you do that."

The two women nodded while the ninken gave fanged grins at the idea of fighting. Hana and her partners went off to flank the much larger duo of Nuke-Nin while Naruto mentally commanded Kidomaru to fire an arrow with a flash bang tied to it. The Spider-Nin complied and released his arrow, resulting in the Stupid Brothers getting blinded by a sudden flash of bright, white light while Mizuki ducked through some bushes and made a run for it.

Anko and Naruto quickly gave chase while Kidomaru kept the silver haired Nuke-Nin on his toes with multiples arrow shots. They slowly approached a clearing and Mizuki stopped to face his pursuers, but he was surprised to see that it was Anko and some cloaked figure.

"Anko Mitarashi… What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, asshole. Mizuki Kusari, you're under arrest for treason, two counts of attempted homicide, and breaking out of prison," stated the Snake Mistress as she readied a kunai.

Mizuki snorted and looked to her with boredom. "Really? And you think you're going to take me in so easily?" He then laughed while pulling out the vial he had earlier. "I think I'll show you where you stand in the shinobi hierarchy…with something Orochimaru-sama tasked me to find!"

"I wouldn't drink it. If you're doing all of this for that pathetic excuse for a Sannin, then I'm afraid to tell you that he's already dead," informed the hooded blonde, making Mizuki freeze in shock.

"What are you talking about? Orochimaru-sama is the most powerful shinobi of the Elemental Nations! There's no way someone of his caliber is dead!"

Naruto shrugged before he put himself between Anko and their target. "Whether you believe me or not is your choice. However," he gave a Kyuubi-enhanced glare from underneath the shadows of his hood, making Mizuki take a step back, "you don't have a choice in your capture and or death. Your choice right now determines if I rip out your small intestine and skip rope with them."

"Y-You… W-What are you?" asked the nervous Nuke-Nin.

"Anko, let me handle him alone. I still owe him for almost killing Iruka-sensei three years ago."

The violet haired Tokubetsu gave him a slightly annoyed look before she sighed and stepped back. "Fine, but you owe me for this, Foxy."

He smirked and replied, "I'll be sure to take you out sometime as payment; your choice. Preferably something illegal and frowned upon by most of the known world."

"Deal!" grinned Anko.

Mizuki had finally put the pieces together as for who the cloaked figure was and gained some confidence. 'Oh, you have got to be shitting me! The Kyuubi Brat is the 'hunter' chasing me?" He then laughed loudly and clutched his side after his ribs slowly began to ache.

However, the next thing he knew was a fist attaching itself to his face and launching him back a few feet. As he picked himself up, he noticed Naruto, now with his hood down, giving him a fanged grin. "I'm going to enjoy taking you down, Mizuki-teme."

The man glared hatefully at him before smirking and quickly downing the contents of the vial. Slowly, he body tensed and twitched before he began to spasm and grow larger. His skin soon gained some orange fur with black stripes mixed in, his arms gained extreme amounts of muscle, and the rest of his body became more toned. By the end of it all, he looked like a buff human-tiger hybrid.

"Gross."

"C'mon Demon Fox, let me rip you apart!"

Naruto raised a brow at the new look of his opponent, but he just shrugged and had his chakra chains wrap around his fists in the form of some boxing glove/brass knuckle hybrid. He growled before punching his right fist into his left palm, resulting in a metallic boom filling the air and smirked at the hybrid Mizuki. "Let's do this, you pussy."

Mizuki snarled before roaring and launching himself at the blonde. Obviously, the charge was too straightforward and Naruto was able to easily twist out of the way and land a punch to the man's side. The chakra-enhanced shot to the ribs turned three or four into nicely ground powder, causing Mizuki to roar in pain before skidding out of reach.

'Shit, that hurt! This damned brat shouldn't be able to hurt me like that!' fumed the hybrid before he began swiping his claws in a wild flurry at the blonde. Naruto was able to evade and knock aside each swipe before he pumped chakra into his legs and blurred out of view. When he reappeared, he was right in Mizuki's guard and landed a vicious uppercut to the hybrid's chin, resulting in a broken jaw and a sadistic grin from the blonde.

As the Nuke-Nin staggered from the blow, Naruto gave a small glance to Anko and grinned to her, making her grin back and nod. He then ran up to Mizuki, leapt into the air, and punched him square in the dead-center face. The blow pushed Mizuki back more and Anko was able to have one of her snake's wrap around his neck and slowly constrict the hybrid's airways. As he struggled to get air, Naruto stepped up to him and cocked his chained fist back. "This is for Iruka-sensei," he said calmly before he punched the Nuke-Nin in the gut, making him lose what little air he had left in him.

Anko then released the man and placed a chakra restriction tag on him before she grinned at the blonde. "That was fun!"

Naruto smirked and sealed Mizuki's body within a small scroll before he pocketed it. "Yea, I guess it was," he agreed as he made his way to where they left Hana.

Anko was walking in step with him when she suddenly asked, "You were serious about earlier, right?" When he looked to her with a raised brow, she elaborated, "Taking me out sometime?"

"Oh… Yea, I was serious. Why?"

She smirked before she boldly kissed his whiskered cheek, making him freeze and blush slightly at her actions. "Just making sure, Foxy-kun," she said in a seductive tone before she went on ahead with a sway in her hips.

"And we haven't tapped that…why?"

'I actually don't have a comeback for that.'

"Didn't think so."

Naruto couldn't help but stare at her ass, but he soon shook himself out of his trance and followed the Tokubetsu with a grin. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope this mission ends soon."

Naruto had things to…do.

Konoha (2 hours later)

Tsunade was looking over the reports given to her by the new team she had sent on a trial run. The results of their mission were beyond what she expected. Not only did they successfully bring back the Nuke-Nin, but no casualties or injuries were received by the team. Sure, Hana and the Haimaru were exhausted from taking down such large opponents, but they were still unscathed due to her wits and cunning dominating their brawn and lack of coordination.

"Excellent work, you three. I can say without a doubt that this field test was successful. So, I'm keeping you three as a team, and Naruto…"

"Yes, Tsunade…?"

She tossed him a flak jacket with the kanji for "Death" on the back above the Uzumaki Swirl. "Congratulations, you're now a Tokubetsu Jonin. You are Konoha's only Summoning Master due to the Nidaime's jutsu and the multiple summons you can have at your disposal." Naruto nodded with a smirk and took of his cloak, making Anko and Hana gain a small blush at his body, before he put on the flak jacket and replaced his cloak. "Now, as for what these teams I wish to create are for… I want Konoha to have a division in the shinobi ranks specific for one thing."

"What is it you wish for us to specialize in, Hokage-sama?" asked Hana.

"…Taking down the terrorist organization known as Akatsuki."

Another bomb-shell.

(End)

So, someone gave me an idea that practically had me salivating. More info will be released with the coming chapters but…it is going to be fun as shit. See you later bro's.