Chapter 4. I hope you like it.

As Naruto talked with the Mizukage, he was assured that no one would bother him about his appearance. "Don't you worry." said the 'kage, "People here will be so happy about a new bloodline, that you could be green….uhhh." His voice stumbled to a halt as he took another look at Naruto's very green visage. "Well." he spoke quickly, "Don't worry, anyway." Naruto turned his head and rolled his eyes. He sighed quietly and hoped that the Mizukage was right.

The Mizukage then handed Naruto a new headband and a chuunin combat vest, which he quickly donned. Now garbed in only his vest, shinobi pants, and boots, he realized that he was showing a lot of green, scaly skin and hoped that the 'kage was right about the villagers. The Mizukage was eyeing him with visible satisfaction, muttering "A new bloodline. A NEW bloodline!!" under his breath. Smiling happily, he rubbed his hands together, then sent Naruto off to meet his new team. "I'm sure you'll get along very well." he promised Naruto.

Walking down the tower stairs, Naruto was thinking about what his team would be like. He didn't know a lot about the Mist, so wasn't sure what to expect. Finally, he told himself that there would also have been trained- much as he had. That would give them some common ground, anyway. He frowned and went over all the Mizukage had told him about his team and quickly realized that it wasn't much. Mostly just their names. One in particular stood out. "Nazo." he thought. "Now, that is a very interesting name." He wondered if there was a meaning behind the name as it wasn't one he'd ever heard before. He reached the tower door and made his way to where he had been told were the training grounds. As he approached, he noticed that it was a small clearing with training dummies all around and a nice sized lake to the right. To the left was a thick overgrown forest. The clearing was well-maintained and the dummys, while showing obvious signs of use, were in good shape. Naruto nodded approvingly. It was as it should be.

Standing relaxed near the training ground were three people- all intently watching his arrival. Closest to him was a man who appeared to be around twenty-five. He was wearing a standard jounin outfit, but his hair was wild and his face looked like he had not shaved in a week. A scar adorned his right cheek and curved over his neck and jugular.

Next to him was a girl. She appeared to be about his age. She was wearing a loose fitting shirt and pants. She had two katanas strapped to her back and a belt loaded with shurikens was in plain sight. Her hair was a pure white, but not the white of age. She had a smirk that said "Leave me alone or I kill you.".

To her left was a boy- also about his age. The boy was dressed strangely. He had on a green trench coat and black pants. He also had a cane that looked as though he could draw a blade out of it. His hips were set and his shoulders thrown back. His look just screamed "I am better then you and smarter then you, too."

As Naruto approached the trio, they checked out his appearance, also. In spite of the Mizukage's words, he almost expected them to back away or at least look disgusted. However, he detected no surprise or any other reaction and decided that news of his appearance had preceded him.

Clearing his throat, Naruto broke the silence. "Hey, are you team alpha?" His words hung in the air a beat before they all nodded. "Well," Naruto continued, " I am Croc- your new teammate." Once again, his words fell into a well of silence and were swallowed.

Finally, Kei (the older man) replied in a bored tone "Nice to meet you. Perhaps we should introduce ourselves- just our names and a little something about us. I am Kei Tamou. I like Mist soup and my dog. I dislike arrogant people." Once again, silence reigned, then Kei took a glance at Nazo before reasoning " I think that Nazo should go next."

As he spoke, Nazo looked annoyed, but answered " I am Nazo Enigma. I like mind games, puzzles, and facts. I do not like people of inferior intellect- which is almost everyone else."

As he spoke, Croc was thinking "What a jerk!" Next, Kei pointed to Fumiko.

She smiled and enthusiastically replied "I am Fumiko. I don't care if I have no last name. It is less to fill out on evil forms anyway! I like knives, swords, daggers- well, anything sharp and points. Oh, and let's not forget about pies. I like those, plus fish- but not fish pies. That's just gross." This pronouncement was accompanied by a shudder. "I do not know why, but I do not like serious people- not one bit- nor those that can not take a joke."

As Naruto looked over his new team, he could not believe how he always had to end up with such wild twists in his life.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Konoha. Danzou was talking with Root agents. He spoke "Is the genin ready for the procedure?" The Root agent nodded. "Good. Then begin Operation Bane." The agent leaned back in his chair, laced his fingers behind his head and smiled widely.

Well, Chapter 4. Tell me what you like! Did you notice the similarities to Batman villains? Who do you think should become Bane? Please review and also vote in the poll on my profile. It will end in 3 days. Thanks!