"I will admit there's a certain degree of giving a fuck that goes into not giving a fuck. By saying you don't care if the world falls apart, in some small way, you're saying you want it to stay together on your terms."

(EDITED)

Chapter 15: Kazumi the Bunny

It had been a little under two weeks since the Chunin Exams had passed. Following the exams, of course, was the decision-making process regarding promotions.

The judges had sent their individual evaluations of each candidate to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Ultimately, he would be the one to decide which candidates would be promoted.

Shuffling through the evaluations, Hiruzen noticed the first name on each evaluation was Naruto Uzumaki. Each evaluation told the same tale: Naruto Uzumaki was unmatched in the exams. Each judge had remarked that Naruto was beyond Chunin level. Some recommended him for higher positions, while others just left that portion vague.

Hiruzen contemplated Naruto's position for a few moments. The aged hokage was very proud of the boy he saw as a grandson. Naruto seemed to be making quite a name for himself, and if the evaluations were anything to go by, he would continue to do so. Naruto's position would require extra thought, so Hiruzen proceeded further.

Next was Sasuke Uchiha. Evaluations stated that he was at mid to high Chunin level, and Hiruzen agreed. It was a very easy decision, and one that Hiruzen was proud to make, to promote Sasuke to Chunin.

Shino Aburame was a very unique one, Hiruzen noted as he flipped through his evaluations. He showed a lot of promise, but there just wasn't enough to really make an accurate assessment of his skills. Ultimately, the decision was to have him remain as a genin.

Sakura Haruno was somewhat of an underdog coming into the exams according to the evaluations, but she definitely shocked the judges with her variety of ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu skills. All the judges decided that Sakura should be promoted to Chunin, and Hiruzen agreed.

Hinata Hyuga was another person who surprised the judges. People generally regarded the Hyuga heiress as a weak, timid girl, but she put up a decent fight. Unfortunately, she didn't display enough to deserve a promotion.

Hiruzen smiled sadly as he finally flipped through the last evaluated Konoha candidate. Rock Lee had impressed the judges with his undying will to accomplish his dream of becoming an excellent shinobi that could not do ninjutsu or genjutsu. His taijutsu was top-notch, but he couldn't defeat Gaara. As a consequence of pushing himself way past his limitations, Lee had been severely injured to the point where saying his shinobi career was in jeopardy would be an understatement.

Hiruzen sighed as he placed all the evaluations to the side. He pulled out his pipe, placed it in his mouth, lit it up, and breathed it in deeply.

"Now, what to do with Naruto." Hiruzen began now that he was more relaxed.

Whether it was clear or not, Hiruzen always made decisions regarding Naruto with the boy's best interest in mind. True as that may be, Hiruzen found himself making mistakes; ones that impacted Naruto in several different negative ways. Hiruzen was determined not to mess up with Naruto's placement.

'With his abilities, he is capable of undertaking high level missions. All he needs is the experience.' Hiruzen pondered.

"Age isn't a factor when you're a shinobi." Hiruzen chuckled fondly as a particular statement from Naruto suddenly echoed in his head. The truth in that declaration served as inspiration for Hiruzen's decision.

Naruto lied on his bed and stared at his ceiling. Jiraiya had sought him out after his big win in the Chunin Exams. The old toad sage's pride shone brightly. With a large grin and an arm around Naruto's shoulder, Jiraiya left Naruto with a rather unsettling declaration.

"If for some reason I can't find the answer to achieving peace in this hate-filled world of ours, I'll entrust you with doing what I could not."

Naruto scowled to himself. This wasn't the first time Jiraiya said something to him that completely threw him off and took him out of his comfort zone. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Jiraiya was trying to change him into someone willing to die to achieve worldwide peace; someone with that Will of Fire that the old man was always going on about.

There lies the problem. Naruto didn't care about peace, and he didn't give a damn if the whole world became a battleground of hatred. Even as he's thinking this, Naruto can still picture Jiraiya smiling knowingly at him before patting his shoulder with a chuckle.

Naruto growled at the image in his head, willing it away.

Indifference was Naruto's way of coping. Until a certain sannin invaded his life, indifference seemed so flawless. Now, indifference seemed impossible to maintain.

*The Next Day*

Sasuke and Sakura had been retrieved by Anbu and taken to the Hokage's office where they were informed of their promotions and received their Chunin vests.

Sakura glanced around the office, seemingly searching for a particular person. "Where's Naruto? I was sure he'd get promoted, too." Sakura surmised. She noticed that when she mentioned Naruto, Sasuke seemed to scowl in anger. The pink-haired kunoichi looked worriedly at Sasuke, wondering about his reaction to the mere mention of Naruto.

"Don't mind Naruto. I have something else in mind for him." Hiruzen stated somewhat vaguely.

After they received their vests and Hiruzen congratulated them, Sasuke and Sakura left. Strangely enough, minutes after they left, Kakashi strolled in.

"Did I miss my students?" Kakashi asked with a smile as Hiruzen's head rose to regard the jounin.

"Ah, yes. You just missed them. I've already officially promoted them." Hiruzen stated absently and he breathed in the tobacco from his pipe.

"Oh, well I'll see if I can meet up with them." Kakashi said as he got ready to follow after his students.

"Hold on, Kakashi, there's something I want to discuss with you." Hiruzen spoke. Kakashi turned around to regard the hokage.

"What do you want to discuss?" Kakashi questioned as he approached Hiruzen's desk.

"Naruto's placement." Hiruzen responded simply.

Kakashi's eyes widened and he was about to say something before he was cut off.

"Naruto's been recommended by quite a few of the judges for a higher placement than Chunin. I find myself in agreement with those evaluations." Hiruzen explained with a smile.

"What did you have in mind?" Kakashi inquired, taking a seat parallel to the hokage.

"Anbu." Hiruzen answered, waiting for Kakashi's reaction.

Kakashi's eye widened and he stared at the hokage for a few moments. Shocked would not be accurate in describing Kakashi at the moment.

"With all due respect, Lord Hokage, Naruto hasn't even been a shinobi for year. Do you really believe he is ready for such a drastic change?" Kakashi questioned, trying to remain calm.

"That is why I'll have him go through a testing process." Hiruzen began as he pulled his pipe away from his mouth, "Several high-ranked missions with a partner whom will act as an evaluator. If he is successful in that portion, he will go through Anbu training." Hiruzen finished. He took a pause before adding, "Of course, this is if Naruto agrees to go through testing."

Kakashi chuckled, "You know Naruto. Of course he is going to agree to this. That's just the kind of person he is."

Kakashi and Hiruzen shared a small laugh before falling silent for a few moments. Kakashi looked at Hiruzen curiously as a thought suddenly occured to him.

"Who did you get to be his partner anyway?" Kakashi questioned suddenly. He became somewhat concerned for his fox-eared student when Hiruzen started laughing to himself.

"I found the perfect partner for Naruto. I'm sure he will benefit greatly from working together with her." Hiruzen said, still laughing uncontrollably.

Kakashi began to sweat, as he took in the sight of his leader having a giggle fit. Briefly, he wondered if Naruto would still be sane, or at least as sane as he happened to be, after all is said and done.

When questioned about the image of the typical Anbu member, one would usually imagine a battle-hardened warrior with scars marring the Anbu's body; cold, absolutely ruthless, and strictly professional, but as one particular Anbu member started to stroll around a little over a year ago, humming a tune to herself with a rather cheerful smile on her face, people began to reevaluate their definition of an average Anbu member.

Kazumi, or the Bunny as her fellow Anbu members referred to her, was certainly not the average, everyday Anbu member. She broke just about every stereotype made about Anbu.

Giggling to herself as she took a bite of her favorite sweet, Kazumi happily walked around the village she called her home. Her mask was left forgotten in her apartment since she wasn't on duty at the moment, but she still wore her usual uniform. Her dark brown hair and black scarf swayed as she walked with a familiar bounce in her step.

Fifteen year old Kazumi wasn't the stereotypical stupid, bubbly girl that people often mistook her for either. She sure as hell wouldn't have been a successful Anbu member had that been the case. Kazumi was referred to as "The Bunny" because she was deceptively strong and agile. Kazumi was also fairly intelligent. Her fast reflexes and taijutsu ability made her quite formidable in a close-quarters environment. She was well-versed in the art of genjutsu as well. Overall, Kazumi was a very capable shinobi, though she may not appear to be one.

Kazumi was happily doing her daily stroll around the village with no particular destination in mind. Suddenly, she stopped, her breath hitched, and her eyes widened comically. To her left was her favorite store in the known universe. A radiant smile spread across her face, before she took off in a sprint, leaving a dust cloud behind her. She shouted happily as she ran, turning quite a few heads.

"Candy!"

Naruto winced as his sensitive ears picked up high-pitched shouts belonging to an overly excited girl. Judging by the shout, Naruto estimated the girl to be around four years old. Scowling, Naruto turned over in his bed again.

He had to be grateful to that girl, though. The ear shattering shout had succeeded in taking his mind off Jiraiya's unsettling questions and statements, if only for a moment.

Blood dripped from his knuckles as he repeatedly punched the training post in his personal training grounds in a futile attempt to release all of his frustration. Sasuke jumped back from the post, panting in exhaustion. It had been years since everything was forcefully taken away from him. Seemingly in an instant, Sasuke's life had changed so drastically, and the one he once called brother was the catalyst.

Idly wrapping his damaged hands with bandages, Sasuke's mind lingered on Itachi. Years had passed, but Sasuke knew he was no match for Itachi. That fact had been driven home quite harshly every time Naruto had defeated him. Naruto was strong, but even he couldn't defeat Itachi.

'Damn it! What have I been doing this whole time?' Sasuke thought in self-condemnation. Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke roared in anger as he charged a Chidori in his left hand, and jumped forward once more.

*That Night*

Unzipping her Chunin vest and letting it fall to the ground, Sakura jumped on her bed. As soon as she returned home with a brand new vest, Sakura's family hugged her, their faces shining with pride. The family celebrated until just a few moments ago.

As she lied in her bed, Sakura couldn't help but think of the lives of her teammates. Compared to her teammates, Sakura's background was normal. She grew up with a loving family and experienced a normal childhood. The pink-haired Chunin was bullied for a period of time during her childhood for her slightly wide forehead, but that was nothing compared to what Naruto must have undergone.

Sakura shuddered just imagining what might have happened to Naruto in his younger years.

'Even Sasuke had a really rough past. Kakashi-sensei probably had a lot troubles back when he was younger, too.' Sakura thought sadly. She had grown quite attached to each of her teammates, including Naruto, so it hurt her to think that they all have suffered or are still suffering in some way.

'I really wish I could help them heal.' Sakura thought as she closed her eyes, hoping for a peaceful rest.

*The Next Day*

A light tapping on the window disrupted Naruto's sleep. With a scowl on his face, Naruto merely shifted his eyes to address the intruder that interrupted his rest. The sleep-disrupting intruder happened to be an Anbu member. Briefly, Naruto weighed the pros and cons of spitting a fireball at the man who dared to cut his sleep short. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how one might look at the situation, the cons slightly outweighed the pros.

'I guess the old man finally decided to promote me. Took him long enough.' Naruto thought as he shook off the last bits of drowsiness he felt. The fox-eared shinobi stood from his bed and walked over to his window to regard the Anbu.

"Lord Hokage wishes to see you." The bird-masked Anbu said immediately upon the opening of the window.

'Like clockwork.' Naruto thought with a sigh as he witnessed the Anbu seemingly and suddenly vanish.

"You wanted to see me, old man?" Naruto questioned as he suddenly appeared at the window of the Hokage's office.

'Why do I even have a door, again?' The third Hokage thought to himself as yet another one of his village's shinobi chose to hop in through the window instead of simply using the tried and true, ever-reliable door.

Naruto hopped through the window, and his attention was drawn immediately to a girl in the corner of the room, seemingly laughing at her own thoughts and nibbling on a gummy snack with a rather creepy smile, at least in Naruto's opinion, on her face. Naruto mentally scowled as he took in the entirely too cheerful girl.

"Naruto, there are things I wanted to discuss with you." Hiruzen explained, turning his attention from his paperwork to Naruto.

Naruto's eyebrows rose in response, signalling for Hiruzen to continue.

"First, I must say you performed excellently in the Chunin Exams." Hiruzen began, paying close attention to Naruto's rather blank expression, "The evaluators were so impressed that many of them recommended you for a higher position than Chunin." Hiruzen concluded. There was still no change in Naruto's expression.

Hiruzen sighed. "I have given this much thought, and I believe the best solution would be to put you through a testing process for the Anbu program." Hiruzen stated.

"What exactly is the process?" Naruto spoke after a long stretch of silence.

"You will take five high-ranking missions, very similar to the ones that an Anbu member takes regularly, with a designated partner who will also act as an evaluator. If you make it past that point, you will be taken through a special training process unique to Anbu." Hiruzen explained as he tried his best to keep his attention on Naruto instead of the girl in the corner preoccupied with licking her fingers clean after devouring a somewhat sticky treat.

Naruto's gaze became suspicious as he turned his attention to the girl with the apparent sweet-tooth. Now that he looked at it, she was dressed like an Anbu member. The only difference being that she wore a long black scarf around her neck. A porcelain mask hung lazily from the side of her head.

'I don't really got room to talk when it comes to first impressions.' Naruto thought to himself as he, for the second time, took in the girl in the corner of the office. With a sigh, Naruto approached the girl.

"I take it you're going to be my partner for this testing process." Naruto stated surely.

The girl looked up at Naruto until her gaze shifted upward and locked on to the fox ears that sat proudly on his head. The ears twitched under her stare, and the girl's face brightened.

"Aww, can I touch'em?" She said as she reached for Naruto's ears surprisingly swiftly. Naruto stood stock still as a girl he just met started rubbing his ears. The girl was not deterred by the growl that Naruto started to emit. Instead, she kept rubbing with a gleeful smile until Naruto swatted her hands roughly.

"Hands off, bitch." Naruto said with a scowl, "Didn't anyone ever teach you not to fondle strangers?" He finished sarcastically.

"Hi! My name's Kazumi, and I'm gonna be your partner for a while." Kazumi said kindly as she held her hand out for Naruto to shake, completely ignoring his previous statements.

Naruto stared at the extended hand for a moment before shaking his head and walking past her. 'I can't believe I put up with this shit.' Naruto thought to himself as he watched Kazumi endlessly speak about her love of all things sweet.

With a sigh and glares to both Hiruzen and Kazumi, Naruto walked out of the office.

"I'm coming after you, old man, if I lose my fucking sanity." Naruto said as he reached the door and slammed it shut behind himself.

Silence stretched on for a few moments. Hiruzen glanced at Kazumi and noticed the grin on her face.

"Is something wrong, Kazumi?" Hiruzen asked cautiously.

"I think he likes me." The Bunny stated proudly with a giggle as she followed after Naruto.

Well, fellas, looks like we got ourselves an OC. Don't worry, there shall be no Mary Sue BS.

post img (.org) / image / co7z4v3up / (Very rough, basic concept of Kazumi, Delete the spaces and remove parentheses)