"I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning." - J. B. Priestly

Chapter 16: The Act of Infiltration: Part I

"You're pretty damn persistent. I'll give you that much." Naruto grumbled as he glanced at the girl who walked by his side, "Why are you still following me anyway?"

Kazumi smiled. She had caught up to Naruto easily enough and she laughed as he started to growl at her. It had taken over half an hour for Naruto to stop trying to escape Kazumi.

"Just felt like hanging out since we're going to be partners and all." Kazumi said casually, pulling out another snack.

Naruto gave her a strange look. Even during his time with Team Seven, none of his teammates ever offered to 'just hang out'.

'I guess that's partly my fault.' Naruto thought with a shrug.

"Got anything in mind?" Naruto asked, glancing at his companion. He didn't really have anything to do until his testing process began, and it couldn't hurt to find out more about Kazumi.

Before Kazumi was able to answer, she and Naruto sensed that they were being followed. They both turned to regard their follower and were met with a cardboard box that was colored to appear as a mass of rocks. Naruto's eye twitched as he took in the half-assed disguise. He seriously considered cutting the disguise, and whoever happened to be in it, in half.

"Umm, I'd really hate to break it to you, but your disguise really sucks." Kazumi said as she looked at the box intently as if trying to see through it, "I mean it really sucks."

"You're pretty sharp. I guess there's no point in hiding anymore!" A voice from inside the box called out excitedly.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he heard the oddly familiar voice. Seconds later, the box seemingly imploded in a cloud of colorful smoke. Naruto rolled his eyes as the smoke cleared and he finally recognized the three kids who were in the middle of a coughing fit due to the overabundance of smoke, which one of them actually commented on.

As the coughing died down, the spiky, black-haired kid in the middle immediately looked to Naruto, whom was looking at him with pure annoyance, and Kazumi, whom seemed ready to burst from holding in too much laughter.

"Hey, you're the Hokage's grandson, aren't you?" Kazumi said, pointing at the child.

"Don't call me that! I'm the number one ninja in the village, Konohamaru!" He exclaimed as he struck a pose.

Naruto's eye twitched again.

"I'm the sassiest kunoichi in the Academy, Moegi!" She declared, striking a pose akin to Konohamaru's.

This time, both of Naruto's eyes twitched.

"I love Algebra. Call me Udon!" He stated as he provided a finishing pose.

"Together, we're the Konohamaru Ninja Squad!" Konohamaru finished.

Naruto turned on his heels and walked away without a word. Kazumi held her stomach as she cried with laughter and struggled to keep up with Naruto at the same time.

"Hey, wait up!" Konohamaru called out, rushing to catch up with Naruto. When he finally caught up and got Naruto and Kazumi to stop, he quickly registered that the annoyance in Naruto's expression had been replaced with an irritated anger that promised punishment.

"Hear me out, boss!" Konohamaru exclaimed, waving his hands about frantically.

"Boss? I-I can't take it!" Kazumi said, tears in her eyes as she struggled to keep her laughter to a minimum.

Naruto sighed in frustration. Between being pestered by three kids he barely even knew, and his new partner's laughter tearing him a new eardrum, Naruto's patience was running thin.

"Don't tell me. You want me to train you, right?" Naruto asked with a blank expression and a monotone voice. Konohamaru and his friends nodded excitedly in response.

Naruto suddenly scowled at the boy. Charging wind chakra to the tip of his middle finger, Naruto flicked his finger at Konohamaru, aiming for the boy's chest. The concentrated wind slammed him back and knocked him off his feet. Konohamaru's friends gasped and ran to their friend's aid.

"Hey, you're so-"

"Let me guess," Naruto interrupted the Konohamaru Ninja Squad, "Based on your reaction to being referred to as the Hokage's grandson, you don't want to live in the old man's shadow, am I right?"

Naruto's surprisingly accurate statement stunned Konohamaru into silence.

"You want to surpass the old man because you want to be acknowledged as Konohamaru." Naruto continued, looking down at the stunned boy on the ground, "If that's what you want, then you need to find your own damn answers. I sure as hell am not one of them, so don't pester me as if I am one. You gotta work your ass off to find your own strength. Don't rely on others to just hand it out to you, got it?"

Konohamaru, after finally getting over his momentary shock, nodded his resolve. He would follow Naruto's words and find his own strength and surpass his grandfather. Moegi and Udon seemed to be inspired by Naruto's harsh advice as well. The three stood up, and with a salute to Naruto, they ran off, prepared to dive into training.

Satisfied that he finally got the kids off his back, Naruto began walking away again. Kazumi, smiling brightly at him, followed right behind him.

Kakashi, in the hopes of finding his team, followed the unmistakable sounds of fire raging, earth shattering, and a bit of lightning crackling that seemed to be leading to the training grounds that Team Seven often used. He had called for his team to meet there after they were promoted to give them the run down on the current conditions of their team.

Any wondering that the two newly promoted Chunin had about Naruto's not being there was completely forgotten when they began to spar to kill some time. With his Sharingan activated, Sasuke would see through a vast majority of Sakura's bag of tricks. On the off chance that one of her genjutsu broke through the powerful dojutsu, Sakura would make sure Sasuke knew he fucked up. She hit pretty damn hard, especially when she encased her hand in rock. Regardless, those moments were very far and few between, and Sasuke had the advantage.

Kakashi noted that Sasuke was sparring more agressively recently. Ever since his crushing defeat at Naruto's hands in the finals of the Chunin Exams, Sasuke seemed to suffer from a serious inferiority complex. He believed he was weak when in actuality, Sasuke was very advanced. Telling him that proved to be pointless, since he was convinced that he was weak and that his progress was slow.

"Yo!" Kakashi greeted his team with a smile. Sasuke and Sakura immediately stopped their spar and walked over to Kakashi.

"Well, as you know, things are changing. With you two being promoted to Chunin, you're going to start leading squads soon and taking on higher ranked missions." Kakashi explained.

"What about Naruto? He had to have gotten promoted too, so where is he?" Sakura asked, looking around the training grounds just in case Naruto was there and was just being lazy or something.

"That's another thing I wanted to talk to you two about." Kakashi began, taking a slight pause for a dramatic effect. He almost laughed at how Sakura seemed to unconsciously lean in with wide eyes. "Naruto has been recommended by quite a few of the judges from the Chunin Exams for a higher position than Chunin. Considering his abilities, Lord Hokage has placed Naruto in an Anbu testing process." Kakashi finished, once again, almost laughing at Sakura's comical reactions. Sasuke, however, had a much less humorous reaction. In fact, he had no visible reaction at all. He had one hell of a poker face, if nothing else.

"A-Anbu?! You can't be serious, sensei! He's only thirteen, and he hasn't even been a ninja for a year!" Sakura sputtered as she waved her hands around frantically in an attempt to convey her confusion among other things.

"What is that thing Naruto is always saying?" Kakashi asked rhetorically while tapping his chin in mock thought, "Oh yes, 'Age isn't a factor when you're a shinobi.'" Kakashi quoted with a smile.

It took a few moments, but Sakura eventually calmed down, "So I guess Team Seven is officially over then, huh?" Sakura questioned with a rather sad tone.

"Not quite. Naruto won't be taking missions or training with us anymore, but we will still operate as a team for some time until you get more experience on the field." Kakashi replied to which Sakura nodded.

"But seriously, Anbu?!" Sakura exclaimed, pulling on her hair slightly.

Kakashi chuckled fondly. If nothing else, Sakura delivered on entertainment.

"Hey Naruto, if your shinobi career doesn't work out, you could always become a motivational speaker!" Kazumi laughed as she continuously teased Naruto. She swayed to the left to avoid a swipe from the fox-eared shinobi. The attempt only made her laugh harder.

"Shut up, already! I only said that crap to get those damn kids to stop bothering me and that's all there is to it." Naruto explained, glaring at his companion, "Don't look for something that isn't there."

Kazumi patted Naruto on the back gently. "If that's the case, you could of just taken off after you wind-flicked the kid down, but instead, you gave him a pep talk. I just think you're not as bad of a guy as you seem to think you are." Kazumi finished with a smile.

Naruto growled at her as they continued to walk around with no destination in mind. Suddenly, Naruto perked up as an idea occurred to him.

"How about you and me spar and I'll show you how bad I really am." Naruto suggested with a smirk.

Kazumi giggled at the confident look on Naruto's face. "Okay, I guess we can hang out after I kick your butt!" Kazumi taunted as she took off, heading toward the closest training ground.

Naruto saw this as an opportunity to see what Kazumi was made of and to see where he stacked up. The two shinobi took to the rooftops with Kazumi leading.

The two shinobi quickly arrived at the training ground. Naruto took the time to observe his surroundings. Everything about the training ground was straightforward. It was a great, wide open field with very few trees.

Naruto readied himself. He wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating his opponent. Kazumi seemed to share that mentality as she prepared herself as well.

Time went by with very little activity. Both combatants were testing the other's patience. A silent clash of wills ensued as both fighters stood their ground, unwilling to move in the slightest. The only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of their breathing, and even that was kept to a bare minimum.

Suddenly, all the tension vanished.

Naruto and Kazumi met each other halfway on the training ground, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake. Barrages of various punches and kicks were thrown as the fighters engaged in a taijutsu battle. Here, Naruto learned a couple valuable lessons about the Bunny.

Number one, deception is fundamental, yet crucial especially when dealing with appearances. Kazumi packed one hell of a punch despite her size.

Number two, taijutsu was her game. It sure as hell wasn't his, it was purely hers. Her speed and technique were an overwhelming combination. The Burst Step didn't mean a damn thing to Kazumi and her ridiculous reflexes.

Naruto jumped back to gain distance. He wiped some blood from his lip and scowled. So far, Kazumi was taking it to him and that needed to change, but if there was anything he could take pleasure in, it was that Kazumi hadn't stepped away from their exchange unscathed. True enough, she had a gashes marring her armor and Naruto had managed to land a few punches.

Crossing his fingers, Naruto created a dozen Shadow Clones. Naruto, himself, remained in the back and began gathering nature chakra. His clones stood in front of him protectively with Kubikiribōchō drawn. Six clones performed the Fireball jutsu while the other six swung Kubikiribōchō in a wide arc, performing the Wind Cutter jutsu. The wind blades cut through the fireballs, gathering fire along the way.

Kazumi reached into her pouch and threw a smoke bomb at her feet. Her figure was hidden in the smoke. The last thing Naruto's clones saw was a mischievous grin on her face.

The flying fiery blades cut through the smoke, leaving trails of fire. Amidst the smoke and fire, various tools flew towards the Shadow Clones. The clones easily blocked each of the kunai and shuriken, but strangely enough, each of the clones were destroyed.

Naruto cursed to himself. Before he could fully enter Sage Mode, he heard all of his clones dispel. Curious as to how they failed when he gained their memories, he quickly glanced from side to side. He saw all of the kunai and shuriken that the clones blocked on the ground. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a dozen senbon littered among the many weapons.

Naruto sighed to himself. His clones didn't register the tiny needles mixed in with the much larger weapons when they were deflecting them

Now that that mystery was solved, he had to locate Kazumi again. Using all his senses, Naruto searched the entire training ground for Kazumi, but it seemed she had completely vanished without a trace. He was absolutely alert. Every one of his senses were hard at work trying to find his opponent.

Shocked wouldn't be very accurate in describing what Naruto was feeling when he felt a kunai press against his throat.

There was Kazumi, standing directly in front of him, with a kunai in hand, pointed in a fatal spot.

She saw the unspoken questions in his eyes as they stared at each other. "Right before I dispelled the last of your clones, I placed a genjutsu on it that affected its sense of smell, hearing, and sight." Kazumi explained as she lowered her kunai.

"How did that affect me, though?" Naruto questioned. Then a look of realization crossed his features. Kazumi smiled and nodded, knowing that he figured it out.

When Shadow Clones dispel, any remaining chakra that the clone had returns back to the creator. Along with that chakra, comes any disruption that might have occurred to that chakra during the clone's life span. Because of that, Naruto was placed under a genjutsu as a result of his clone being placed under one before being destroyed.

"Damn, not bad." Naruto remarked, squashing any anger he felt from losing so handily. He had to admit, that was one hell of a way to exploit an enemy clone. Actually, this turned out to be a lesson of sorts for Naruto.

'Based on that, I should be able to use clones as a way to gather nature chakra without having to stand stock still like an idiot for ten seconds.'

Kazumi giggled happily. That was probably the best compliment she'd ever get from Naruto anyway. 'Gotta take what you can get, I guess.' She thought to herself.

"I never got to see it." Naruto said suddenly, looking at Kazumi intently.

"Huh? See what?" Kazumi asked in confusion.

"Your ninjutsu. What's your affinity?" Naruto questioned curiously.

Kazumi's happiness faded quickly with the question. She had a far away look in her eyes, and she seemed to become increasingly angry at whatever she had on her mind. Naruto's eyebrows rose at her odd reaction.

"What's the problem?" Naruto asked somewhat reluctantly.

And then, as quickly as it had come, Kazumi snapped to attention and her anger faded quickly as well. Kazumi laughed nervously, further confusing Naruto. "Uh, well, I really only rely on my taijutsu and genjutsu. That's been my style for as long as I can remember. I never got around to fitting ninjutsu into my fighting style." Kazumi explained, sugarcoating in a way.

Kazumi half expected Naruto to laugh at her, but he didn't.

"I got no room to talk. I'm about as shitty as they come where genjutsu is involved." Naruto said with a shrug.

"I could tell." Kazumi said simply.

"Bitch." Naruto muttered in response.

"Sticks and stones, fox-boy."

The next day, Naruto went to the same training ground that his clones trained on for the Chunin Exams. He still hadn't given up on mastering Scorch Style.

Naruto woke up early that day to train. When the sun rose, Naruto already had been training for several hours, not including the time his Shadow Clones trained.

In addition to attempting to master Scorch Style, Naruto and his clones practiced the method that Kazumi taught him yesterday to break out of genjutsu. Of course, training in that regard was like playing tic-tac-toe by yourself. Without actual genjutsu to practice with at this given time, Naruto's clones were just suddenly stopping their chakra flow and flaring it immediately afterward. It was a glorified chakra control exercise.

Speaking of Kazumi, she and Naruto actually had hung out after their spar. Naruto reluctantly admitted that it wasn't so bad. When he mentioned that, Kazumi seemed to become so much happier.

'Doesn't take much to please her.' Naruto thought, shaking his head.

Once again, Naruto was sent spiralling across the field as another failed Scorch Bomb literally backfired. Combining the elements wasn't much of a hassle. In fact, Naruto had a pretty solid mastery over both fire and wind chakra. To prove his point, he gathered fire around his right hand and spread it down to his arm and channeled wind around his left arm to form a whirlwind.

With a sigh, Naruto dispersed the fire and the wind. He shook his head as he realized he just went out of his way to prove a point to himself. The fox-eared, Anbu-testee watched with frustration as his clones were destroyed one by one by failed Scorch Bombs.

His progress was stunted. Naruto realized that he wasn't make any kind of progress at all with Scorch Style. Watching one final clone explode in a fiery explosion, Naruto dispelled the rest of his clones.

Naruto walked over to the nearest tree and sat at the base. He would figure out why he wasn't getting this.

'Alright, I've got the elements down, and I can combine them, so what's the problem?'

The memories of his clones, as well as his own memories, provided some insight. Every time Naruto formed the Scorch Bomb, he would create a light red flame with a bright white center. He noted that the bomb felt incredibly dense every time. Each time before the bomb detonated in his hands, it would start to burn him. The bomb would become even heavier, the ground around him would shake from the sheer density and instability of the Scorch Bomb, and then it blows the fuck up.

The only thing Naruto could gather is that he just might not have enough power to contain the Scorch Bomb or any other Scorch Style technique.

His eyes and facial expression reflected his newly found resolve. Naruto stood up and began running toward the Forest of Death because he was damn sure that he'd get the Scorch Bomb to work this time, and if it had even half as much power as he believes it has, he sure as hell would need the extra space.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen, stared out the window of his apartment. He gazed down at his village with pride. It was days like these when Hiruzen felt that he and his village were entirely infinite and completely invincible.

Hiruzen was broken out of his peaceful daze when he felt a presence quickly approaching. Its destination seemed to be the window sill, so Hiruzen played a little game while he waited.

Considering the person's destination, it could be Naruto, coming to demand a mission to begin his testing, Kakashi, just...showing up, or-

"You look like you've been smoking something nice out of that pipe, Sarutobi-sensei." Hiruzen's third guess, Jiraiya, remarked when he noticed the dazed expression on Hiruzen's face, "What's with that look anyway? You look like you're about to commit mass genocide."

Hiruzen sputtered in absolute shock at the absurdity of the statement. He shook his head slowly and regained his bearings.

"Have you found anything of interest while you were out?" Hiruzen finally asked.

Jiraiya's proud grin from getting his former teacher to lose his cool quickly faded as he took on a more professional approach.

"We already know that the Akatsuki work in pairs to capture the jinchuuriki just like how Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki came after Naruto. They will most likely be waiting before sending their forces after Naruto because it seems they need to capture the other jinchuuriki before capturing Naruto." Jiraiya explained, "Though, that doesn't mean they won't be coming after Naruto sooner than that if they get the chance."

"I'm still trying to discover the Akatsuki's base of operations as well as their leader." Jiraiya said, "Though, my list of potential places is quickly narrowing down."

Before Hiruzen could reply, Jiraiya continued with even more information on an entirely different topic. "Now, our wayward, snake-summoning friend, Orochimaru, has been rumored to have conquered Ta no Kuni some time ago, and renamed it Oto no Kuni." Jiraiya explained, "In there, he apparently set up a hidden village and named himself the kage of that village. I suspect he's only been gathering ninja for the purpose of achieving his goal of attaining every jutsu." Jiraiya finished with an expression of displeasure on his face.

Hiruzen walked behind his desk and sat down with a sigh. This certainly was a hell of a lot to take in all at once, but this was the job he chose to take. Briefly, he considered an idea. It was somewhat foolish, yet wholly beneficial for who it involved. Besides, something like this would have come up eventually, so why not let it happen now?

"I believe I have found an assignment for Naruto's testing, though I will need to adjust the rules for a mission of this magnitude." Hiruzen said, cradling his head in his intertwined hands. Intercepting Jiraiya's confused look, Hiruzen began explaining everything involving Naruto's chance at becoming an Anbu.

"Warning: You will die." Naruto read off the familiar sign with a chuckle, "That just might happen if this Scorch jutsu blows up on me." Naruto said to himself as he jumped over the gates and took off to find a decent place to experiment.

Naruto smirked as he slaughtered every single creature that dared to stand in his way. He did so with no effort whatsoever. By the time he arrived at an adequate clearing, his hands, or his claws to be specific, were heavily coated in the blood of the rather large snakes and giant spiders that seemed to jump at him by the dozen.

Naruto closed his eyes as he mentally reached for the nature chakra that he desired. After about ten seconds, his eyes snapped open. If he didn't have enough power on his own to use Scorch Style jutsu, then Sage Mode would be his best bet.

This time, Naruto held out his right hand only, gathering wind and fire chakra, simultaneously, to his palm to form the light red flame with the bright white center. He just held it for a while, and watched with interest as the Scorch Bomb remained without burning his hand. The density was still there, but it was nothing compared to his previous attempts.

Now, Naruto chose to hold out both of his hands, repeating the process, and forming a much larger Scorch Bomb. The density of the chakra increased, though not by much, and ground around him began to shake just like before. Naruto mentally prepared himself for the jutsu to explode in his hands again, but it didn't happen. Even minutes later, he was still holding the bomb in his hands without even the slightest burning to his palms.

A confident smirk appeared on Naruto's face. Slowly, he lifted his hands and the Scorch Bomb above his head. His smirk grew and he almost laughed as he threw the Scorch at the tree he was facing.

Naruto expected the Scorch Bomb to be powerful. He expected it to leave a sizeable crater. Hell, he even expected to be wounded in the explosion, but his expectations were nothing more than crappy ballpark guesses when he witnessed the actual outcome.

The place where Naruto threw the Scorch Bomb was a crater. The place where he stood was a crater. Every spot in between was a crater. All in all, Naruto leveled about two kilometers of the Forest of Death, and was promptly thrown just outside of the forest.

Even after he landed outside the forest on his ass, the smirk never once left Naruto's face.

"Well, you sure seem happy today." Kazumi commented, taking in Naruto's softer-than-usual facial expression. He wasn't smiling, but his seemingly perpetual scowl wasn't present. "It's kinda creepy to be perfectly honest."

Naruto scoffed at the jab at his pleasant outlook, but he didn't let it bother him. He was still feeling the bliss from completing his first Scorch Style jutsu. The fact that the Scorch Bomb was practically a doomsday machine just added to his feeling of complete satisfaction.

Naruto and Kazumi had been called by Anbu and were told to report to the Hokage immediately. Undoubtedly, the testing process was beginning

"Have you been practicing your motivational speaking?" Kazumi asked, barely containing her laughter, "You gotta practice if you want go large!" Kazumi finished before she laughed.

Dodging a swipe from Naruto, Kazumi took to the buildings, hopping from rooftop to rooftop while laughing. Of course, she was a spectacle, turning quite a few heads. Naruto let the developing scowl fall from his face as he watched the happy, bouncing girl with her bright smile fade from view. With a shrug and a sigh, Naruto burst stepped after her. Briefly, he wondered what a Scorch Bomb would do to a mouthy Bunny.

The tensity in the Hokage's office was nearly palpable. Naruto and Kazumi stood in front of Hiruzen's desk, and Jiraiya stood off to the side with his arms crossed and a solemn expression. The Hokage, himself, had a very somber expression as he regarded the Anbu and the Anbu-testee.

"I'm sure you both know of Orochimaru, correct?" Hiruzen questioned, to which he received a pair of nods, "Jiraiya has informed me of his current whereabouts and actions, and I fear that if left to his own devices, Orochimaru will eventually attack Konoha." Hiruzen said calmly. He then went on to explain everything that Jiraiya told him regarding Orochimaru to Naruto and Kazumi.

"This seems like a pretty big mission to start me off with if this is going where I think it is, old man." Naruto responded, "Not that I'm complaining."

"Yes, this is a rather important mission to begin your testing with, but that is why I'll bend the rules to compensate." Hiruzen replied, "Jiraiya will be accompanying you and Kazumi on this mission to infiltrate Otogakure."

The team of three, consisting of Jiraiya, Naruto, and Kazumi, headed out north of Konoha with their sights set on Oto no Kuni. Jiraiya led the group and Naruto and Kazumi trailed slightly behind him. For the first time since he met her, Kazumi was wearing her porcelain mask, but just before she placed it on, her face was completely expressionless except for a hint of anger on her features. Once again, something about Kazumi confused the hell out of Naruto.

"The objective of this mission is two-fold. You three are to gather as much information as possible regarding Orochimaru's plans and put an end to his ridiculous ambitions if you are able."

Hiruzen had directed that last part at Jiraiya. That was the purpose of him being here: A potential confrontation with the slithering psycho himself.

No fear or apprehension. Naruto was completely calm, if not a bit excited at his first Anbu-styled mission. Chances were he would encounter some foreign shinobi if stealth wasn't an option, and most likely, all of them would need to get their hands dirty with a little blood. The second part of the mission was to put a stop to Orochimaru if possible after all.

Naruto smirked at the thought.

Looking back on it, that line is hella sexual. *Cough*

Well, I was originally going to write the mission itself in this chapter as well, but it's been a while since I've updated and I figured I'm past due. The parts in here should be fine for a stand alone chapter. Part II will hopefully be posted early August if I can get my ramblings together to form a coherent thought. Fuck my mousetrap of a mind.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to watch Sword Art Online on Toonami.