Another simple disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own any role played by Samuel L. Jackson or anything Marvel puts out.
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Konoha Academy
The day of the graduation exam is usually a benchmark day in a young ninja's life. Pass it and you start down your ninja career. It also is the start of your adult life, even at such a young age. Fail and all of your dreams and goals are held back. You have to deal with the shame of it. Your family may lose honor. For a certain group of twelve year old boys and girls, these ideas were not all that was thought about.
'Man, tests are so troublesome. At least this will be the last one.'
'These BBQ chips taste so good, but I am running low. Hopefully this exam ends soon so I can get some more.'
'I hope Sasuke-kun is watching me. I'll show him that I am worth his time and beat billboard-brow!'
'Today is the day I show everyone who the Alpha male is around here. Not even Sasuke or Naruto can match me.'
'CHA! I will ace this test and then get Sasuke-kun on my team, and then I will win him over with my awesome skills and beauty.'
'I hope I do well. I can't disappoint otousan. Maybe… Maybe if I do well… I will be with Naruto-kun.'
However, for two young boys, the thoughts were somewhat different.
'My first mission and it is an important one. I'd expect no less for an Uchiha. Just hope the dobe can hold to his part of the plan.'
'Yes! My first mission! I will play my part and prove I am someone to watch out for! Today I take my first step toward becoming Hokage! I just wish I didn't have to fail this exam. I wanted to show off my Kage Bunshin.'
As Iruka entered the classroom, all of the students broke from their internal musing and locked gazes with the scarred teacher. Looking at his class for what would be his last day, a small amount of fondness mixed with sorrow sank into his thoughts.
'With each generation come its heroes. I wonder who will be the heroes here? Hopefully I taught them well.'
"Today is the Graduation Exam. I hope you prepared yourself well, since there will be no breaks here today." Iruka lectured his class. "This test will cover skills in basic weapons, ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, as well as concepts all Konoha ninja should know. We will start with a written test." With that statement, a collective groan rose from the class. "You will have one hour to finish this exam. After this exam, then you will be broken up into two groups to cover the rest of the exam. Mizuki, please pass out the tests."
As Mizuki started to pass out exams, he glanced at Naruto and grimaced. He knew what the plan was, but since the meeting a few days ago with his handlers, he felt an uneasy feeling about the plan. He looked one more time at who he called the demon; he saw it laughing and making jokes with a couple of the students.
'Why am I worried?' he asked himself. 'That demon is so naïve and such an idiot in that young form. It will do the job and then I will be free of this pathetic village.'
Little that Mizuki knew, Naruto and Sasuke caught his glances towards Naruto and knew what lurked in his mind. A simple glance between the two brothers conveyed all that needed to be said. This baka was not going to know what hit him.
ROOT Headquarters
Danzo stood in the center of a crossroads in the underground network of tunnels that were entombed deep under Konoha. If the visible power of Konoha was its Hokage, then Danzo and his ROOT were the true strength of the great tree that was the Leaf Village, or at least in his mind.
He was a battle-hardened elder who survived the Rock/Leaf War and the Kyuubi attack, the latter not without losing the right side of his face as well as damaging his right leg and arm. He knew all too well the power that the Kyuubi held and also knew of the plan the Yondaime had in mind. Sacrificing the boy like he did and turning him into a jinchuuriki was nothing more than genius, especially since Kumo and Suna had done similar things. It was also rumored that another lurked in Iwa, but he doubted they had the skill to do so.
The war hawk knew that it did not bode well to make those kinds of assumptions, so as soon as the Kyuubi was sealed and the topic was brought before the council, he vehemently politicked for guardianship of the boy when he became of age so he could train him into the ultimate tool for the village. Of course, Sarutobi, the newly reinstated Hokage, denied the request and enacted his foolish law, trying to give the boy a decent life. He sat patiently like a tiger lurking in the bushes waiting for prey to approach. He knew his chance would come and tonight would be the time.
This was why the man in the blank ANBU mask was before him. He knew this man would be able to capture the boy. A simple nod was all that was needed, since orders were already given earlier. The ROOT ANBU knew he was to bring the boy, Uzumaki Naruto, to Danzo or die trying.
As Danzo watched the ANBU leave, a slight smirk flickered from his lips.
'Hai, today is the day the winds blow the leaves in my direction.'
Konoha Academy
It was a few hours into the test, and all that was left for the class was the ninjutsu part of the test. One by one, each student was called into an adjacent room to perform a group of three jutsus in front of their Academy senseis. One by one, each student would come back in the room, either dejected that they failed or smiling and wearing a new Konoha hitai-ate.
All but three; Hinata, Sasuke, and Naruto; had gone. They saw that all of their friends had managed to pass and each three took that in with different thoughts. Sasuke was patiently waiting for his turn and thinking of the battle to come. Naruto was slightly angry that he couldn't do his Kage Bunshin to pass this test, due to the orders he was under, but also was excited with the role he was supposed to play.
As he scanned the room, he saw Kiba giving Akamaru a treat for their passing the exam. He also noticed Ino and Sakura glaring at each other knowing that neither of them failed, meaning there was still a possibility their rival would be teamed with their Sasuke-kun. He shivered at that thought even though his opinion of them had grown in the last two months. At times, they actually seemed enjoyable to be around, especially after his otousan convinced Sakura to stop being a pain to him.
He glanced at Hinata, who he saw to be one of his better friends since Chronos arrived. He still wondered what she was practicing, and saw her now under a nervous sweat. Concerned for his friend, he approached her.
Hinata was nervous since she didn't want to fail now. Everything was going so well and she was getting closer to Naruto each day. She most desperately wanted to pass so she could be with him. She couldn't wait to do that little number at the promotion party that his otousan was planning, but for some reason all she could see was her otousan's furious gaze that would come if she failed now. She also remembered what her father told her that morning.
Flashback
Hinata was on her way out of the compound in a slightly nervous mood. Today was the day. She would take the exam and become a ninja. She was nervous about if she would pass or not, but not as much as she knew she would have been before. All of the help from the singing really paid off. Chronos-san complimented her on her sweet voice even after the first practice session and when Sakura and Ino dropped by during the next week, they were appreciative as well, so much so that they wanted to join her. Hinata rarely received praise at home, so hearing it from Naruto's adoptive father as well as her peers did wonders, especially since last Sunday he stated that she was the best singer he'd heard in a while and any man would be entranced by her voice.
For her, there was only one man she wanted to entrance, and that was Naruto himself. Knowing this, she was more nervous about performing the song at the party than anything else.
She stopped before exiting the door of the mansion to take a few deep breaths, something else that she picked up from her singing lessons.
'You can do this. It is just a test. Breathe. Relax. You won't fail. Breathe.' she repeated in her mind until her breathing slowed and her heart rate dropped to a normal level.
Getting herself under control, she walked out the door and made her way to the gate. Unfortunately, just a few steps from the gate, she ran into her otousan. The same man who never praised her eyed her coldly and seemed to have a general distaste for her presence.
The tall, aristocratic Hyuuga dressed in majestic white and gray robes of the Hyuuga clan leader glared stone-faced at his daughter. She always seemed weak and timid, unlike his younger daughter Hanabi, but she was the older daughter and rightful heir to the clan. In that position, he could not show favoritism and pushed her harder than anyone else. The clan needed strong leadership and he would be damned if he failed with Hinata, even though at times he wished Hinata would have been born a male instead of the shy girl she was. He looked down at her frozen form as if to analyze her. It was as if his eyes could detect any minor flaw or imperfection and that alone brought the nervousness and fear back to the forefront of her mind.
"I do not expect anything less than greatness, Hinata. Do not disgrace the clan today."
Those were the only words he said and just as abruptly as he said them, he walked past her. Luckily, he didn't see her face as she walked away. If he did, he would have called her tears unbecoming of the Hyuuga.
"Everything okay, Hinata?" she heard from a gentle male voice, shattering her thoughts. Looking up she saw the warm smile from Naruto and blushed.
"I… I'm fine, Naruto-kun." She managed to squeak softly, turning her head to the side.
Naruto tilted his head in disbelief. For someone who was supposedly fine, she looked like she was nervous and he decided to help his friend.
"No worries, Hinata." Naruto stated softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You will do just fine. I am sure what you have been practicing will pay off."
Hinata gasped at the contact and was left at a loss of words. Looking up to meet his gaze, she saw that same warm smile and instantly her troubles lifted like morning mist after the sun warmed the sky. She was about to reply when her name was called. She rose from her seat and walked towards the instructor. As she got to the door, she looked back briefly and saw him nod and smile back at her. She briefly smiled and walked through the door, filled with the confidence Naruto gave her.
Outside the Academy – early afternoon
The students dispersed from the classroom out into the street. One by one, each student was greeted by family and friends and either congratulated or consoled. As even the Inuzuka, Nara, Yamanaka, and Haruno families came to meet their new Genin, one lone student sat on a nearby tree swing.
Uzumaki Naruto had failed. No one saw really saw this except a few people. The first to see him was Hinata. Of all of the people that she thought might fail, it never occurred to her that her hero would be one of them. Gathering the courage, she started to walk over to the boy she cherished to offer words of encouragement, even though her heart was breaking, for she would not have the chance to be on the same team with him. As things would have it, two members of the Hyuuga clan came into view from the crowd, taking the moment away. The beckoned her to follow them, which she reluctantly agreed, but not before giving a silent prayer for Kami to help her friend.
The next one to see him was Iruka. He sat inside his classroom looking at the students from the window as he tidied up the place. He saw the look of disappointment on Naruto's face and it hurt him to see the boy like that. Unfortunately as a teacher, he knew that he had no choice but to fail him. He still couldn't do a simple Bunshin correctly, no matter how much he practiced. As he was about to stop his work and call out to the boy to give him words of encouragement, he saw Sasuke and Chronos approach the boy and decided to keep quiet. Maybe it was best for his new family to be the ones to comfort him.
Chronos and Sasuke saw Naruto sitting there, looking heartbroken and defeated. Fortunately, they knew this was an act, since he failed on purpose. Both of them appreciated the acting displayed before them and would have thought something was wrong if this was a different situation. They approached and bracketed him, each placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, even though the idea of doing that left a bad taste in Sasuke's mouth.
He swallowed his pride for the mission and spoke. "Don't worry too much, dobe. We'll still have time to train; you'll get it next year."
Naruto didn't bother looking them in the eye and just nodded. He didn't want to blow cover and Sasuke's words were practically begging for a retaliatory joke.
Chronos continued the charade even though he was mildly impressed with the façade his youshi was displaying. "Don't wait here too long. Dinner is at eight tonight."
Naruto just nodded again while Sasuke and Chronos walked off. After they walked far enough to be out of sight, the two clones dispelled themselves.
Overlooking the village from atop the Yondaime's head, Chronos and Sasuke sat in their combat garb. Both of them were dressed in dark clothing, anticipating that the meeting would be at night if they had any choice. Sasuke had his hands and forearms bandaged, wearing a night black shirt with an Uchiha symbol on the back, black ninja pants and black combat sandals. Chronos had his urban camouflage on, black and grey face paint, his utility vest buckled tight and its pouches packed with shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags, black combat boots, Kudou Tsuu strapped to his left hip and his crossbow lashed to his back. He was gazing through a pair of binoculars that he recently purchased.
They sat observing Naruto from their post awaiting their prey to enter the trap. It took about thirty minutes before Mizuki approached Naruto.
"You know Iruka didn't want to be so harsh, but he had to, right?" Mizuki asked while keeping his emotions in check. He wanted to retch at the words he was forced to say, but had to keep up appearances. "He has to follow the rules, but he really wants to see you succeed."
Naruto sniffled and looked up at him. "I appreciate it but I am not sure I can handle failing again. I want to become a ninja so badly, but I can't get pass that stupid Bunshin."
Mizuki smiled warmly but inside he was chuckling. 'Got him. Now it is time to reel him in.'
"What if I told you that there is another test you can take? I talked this over with Iruka and he felt you were worthy of a second chance."
Naruto widened his eyes and gave a look of complete shock, but internally he thought the same thing Mizuki thought earlier. "Really?? What is this test?? Can I take it now??"
Mizuki let out a small laugh. "Of course, young Naruto. There is a scroll in the Hokage's office kept for just this purpose. All you need to do is sneak in there, grab the scroll, and find a place to read it. If you learn one jutsu from the scroll before Iruka or I find you, then you will pass. Are you up for it?"
Naruto sprang to his feet with an aura of determination. "You bet, Mizuki-sensei. I always wanted to prank the old man one time, and now is my chance."
Mizuki laughed quietly at that. "Fair enough. You got until midnight tonight to pass. Ready to go?"
"Hai, Mizuki-sensei!" Naruto replied snapping to attention.
"Go on then." Mizuki replied and watched Naruto spring off. 'This is just great. It will not be much longer before I get that scroll and get out of this damn village. I know I will not be stuck as some stupid instructor when I am in the Sound.' Mizuki smiled darkly and then took off to a hiding spot near the Hokage Tower so he could spot Naruto leaving. He didn't feel the four pairs of eyes watching him.
One of those pairs of eyes belonged to his handler, who smiled when a plan was coming together. He pushed up his glasses and went about his business.
A second pair of eyes was sitting behind a tree. Iruka did not hear what happened but did not like the look Mizuki was giving Naruto. He resolved to follow Naruto as much as possible.
The third pair belonged to the ROOT ANBU that lurked in a shadow on the roof of the academy. Seeing Mizuki trail off, he followed the Chuunin, sticking to the shadows and moving swiftly and silently. He would wait until the drop was made and the Chuunin disabled Naruto and drop in to pick up the pieces.
The final pair belonged to Sasuke, who had the binoculars while Chronos set up a couple of flare and explosive tags to his crossbow bolts. He turned to Chronos and nodded.
Chronos pressed a button on the radio headset he wore.
"Blade to Wolfbane, Blade to Wolfbane, operation has commenced. Rabbit has swallowed the bait. Fox en route to package. I say again, Fox en route to package. Over."
A mellow tone replied back to him. "Wolfbane to Blade. Understood. Relaying to Viper. Awaiting signal. Out."
Chronos turned to Sasuke. "Keep an eye on Fox and be watchful for Rabbit, Redeye."
"You had to come up with these lousy code names, and why did we have to dress in black?" Sasuke muttered softly, though the irritation of it all rang true in his words.
"What would you prefer? Yellow spandex??" He replied stifling a chuckle.
"By Kami, is there ever a time that you don't place a movie quote in when you can?"
Chronos just gave a cheesy grin. "Nope."
All Sasuke could do is groan, roll his eyes, and turn back to watching Naruto infiltrate the Hokage Tower. 'For all of the possible guys to be my otousan, why did it have to be this guy? Sometimes, he is worse than the dobe!'
Hokage Tower
Naruto was happy. He wasn't truly happy for many reasons, but this was one. He was in the middle of his first mission. Even though he was taking something from the Old Man, who knew he was coming and was going to make it easy for him, he imagined this was a mission deep into enemy territory grabbing battle plans from the enemy army.
As he worked his way through the tower he made it to the main hallway and hid behind a corner. After a quick Henge, 'Chronos' walked towards the main hall confidently. He worked on this Henge extensively with his Otousan, even able to mimic his voice accurately. He approached the secretary and greeted her.
"I'm Uzumaki Chronos. Is the Hokage in?" 'Chronos' asked curtly.
"He is. May I ask as to the nature of your business with the Hokage?" the middle-aged secretary asked.
"It is clan business." He replied smartly. The secretary pressed a button on a panel in her desk.
"Hokage-sama, you have an Uzumaki Chronos here for you. Should I send him in?"
"Hai. Please send him in. Thank you, Azima-chan," came the response over the intercom.
Not even waiting, he strode into the main office confidently. As soon as he heard the door close, he nodded and put a finger to his lips. The Hokage took this as the signal the real Chronos had set to silence the room, which he did quickly.
"Ojii-san, that was fun. Everything is going according to plan. Rabbit took the bait, and Blade, Viper, Wolfbane and Redeye are in position. I'll grab the package and get out of here. Rabbit stated that he wanted me to learn a jutsu from the scroll. Is there any problem with that Ojii-san??" Naruto asked as he dropped the Henge.
"No problem with that. I assume you learned about Kage Bunshin, which is the first jutsu in the scroll. There is a couple of jutsus that are extensions to that one so you could try those. Just don't try anything else. I have your word on that, correct?" The Sandaime asked as he placed the scroll on his desk.
Naruto grabbed the large scroll and strapped it to his back. "I promise Ojii-san. Now is that the window I am supposed to go out of?" He asked pointing to the window behind the Hokage.
"That is correct. Why do you ask? Didn't Chronos-san brief you on that?"
Naruto walked over to the window and opened it. "Yes he did, but I needed the time for one thing."
"And what would that be, Naruto?" Sarutobi asked curiously.
Naruto quickly turned and flashed through a sign. "Oiroke no Jutsu!" he called out and in a flash of smoke, he was replaced by a stunningly beautiful and completely naked blonde teenage girl barely covered in wisps of smoke. 'She' winked at the Hokage and smiled. "I have to make this good, right Hokage-kun??"
Sarutobi went bug-eyed at the sight and fainted, with a slight amount of blood trickling from his nose. 'She' sighed and dropped the jutsu, reverting back to his normal form.
"For once, I just wish I could find someone who isn't a pervert in this village." Shaking his head, he leaped out of the window and leaped over to a nearby roof with a chimney. He dropped a small smoke bomb on the lip of the chimney to make it look like smoke was drifting up from the fireplace within. He took a second to judge the wind pattern and then took off in a perpendicular direction, heading to the closest wooded training ground in that direction.
Sasuke spotted the smoke and nudged Chronos. He zoomed in on the smoke and noticed it went in a south-westerly direction and saw Naruto taking off as he was told, ninety degrees clockwise to the smoke. Sasuke got on the radio.
"All team members, this is Redeye. Fox is off with the package, heading northwest from the initial point. Again, that is northwest from the initial point. Over."
After a few brief seconds, a seductively sweet voice wafted over the radio waves. "Redeye, this is Viper. Fox's Den should be at TG-27, that's TG-27. Over."
"Blade to Wolfbane and Viper. Blade to Wolfbane and Viper. Proceed to nearest OP to TG-27. CP will close as soon as Rabbit appears from its hole. Out."
Chronos let out a calming breath and checked over his gear to ensure that everything was secure, and set himself to wait on Mizuki to show. A minute or so later, he appeared and took off in a parallel direction to Naruto.
"Blade to all team members. Blade to all team members. Rabbit is on the move. Rabbit is on the move. Redeye and Blade to give chase. CP is now closed. Out."
Training Ground 27 – nighttime
Naruto came to a stop after going through a zigzag pattern to lose the trail of any trackers other than the one he wanted to trail him. He assumed that Mizuki-teme would not come for a little while so he found a decent spot with some clearance and settled down to read the scroll, looking for the jutsus the Hokage mentioned.
As time passed he studied the one jutsu that he found that supplemented the Kage Bunshin: Bunshin Daibakuha. The jutsu would take clones that he made and cause them to explode. He couldn't practice it too much due to the destructive nature of the jutsu, but he managed to make one or two clones explode at a time. As soon as he was satisfied that he had the move down, he turned back to the scroll.
'If Mizuki-teme wanted this scroll, there must be something real valuable in it. Maybe I should look. I know I promised Ojii-san to not learn any other jutsus, but there has to be some reason besides this jutsu I learned that he wants it.' Naruto contemplated.
As he reasoned his way into investigating the scroll further, a figure jumped down from the shadows.
"NARUTO!! What are you doing with that scroll?" Iruka furiously asked the boy in which he took such an interest.
Naruto was spooked. His favorite sensei, one of his best friends and one of the first to ever recognize his value as a person, was here and openly angry at him. He was disgusted with what he had to do, but Iruka was not supposed to be here. As he was about to open his mouth, a voice came through on the earpiece he had hidden by a Henge.
"Blade to Fox. Blade to Fox. Rabbit is approaching your position and will be there in a few minutes. Over."
"Fox to Blade. Iruka has entered the target area. Please advise. Over."
"Blade to Fox. You have three minutes. Play along with the scenario. Over."
"Understood. Fox Out."
Iruka caught Naruto's responses and gave a look that he usually gave when he wanted Naruto to explain himself. The blonde boy caught it and mouthed the words, 'Play along.' Iruka was confused but nodded his head.
In a separate area of the forested training area a few hundred meters away, Kakashi and Anko noticed a flash of white flickering through the trees. Kakashi unveiled his Sharingan and focused his gaze on the spot and saw a person in all black ANBU armor with a blank white ANBU mask. Nodding to Anko and motioning towards the target, he activated his radio.
"Wolfbane to Blade. Wolfbane to Blade. Secondary target has entered the OP area. No Identifying marks other than an ANBU mask. Over."
'Kuso! What the hell is going on here? We had intel that someone may come to grab Naruto, but an unmarked ANBU? That is not good. Iruka also has entered the target area. This complicates things. Hopefully Naruto can convince Iruka to help out.' Chronos analyzed internally.
"Wolfbane to Blade. Do you copy? Over."
"Blade to Wolfbane. I copy. Will approach your position. Redeye will stay and assist Fox and Iruka. Blade Out."
Sasuke turned to his Otousan and gave a confusing look. "You're taking off??"
"Hai. Who knows how many enemies are coming through the other position. Iruka is with Naruto so most likely he will assist you. I doubt both Iruka and Mizuki are in this together. As soon as something happens, intervene and protect your otouto and the scroll. Understand?"
Sasuke looked at the man he knew for only two months but saw a commanding presence that demanded respect and obedience. It reminded him of his actual tousan. He was so similar when it came to all things and this comforted him. Sasuke gave a slight smirk.
"Don't worry Otousan. I will make sure nothing happens to the package or the dobe."
"Good. I'm off. Good luck." Chronos stated and leaped off into the trees, dashing towards his new target.
Sasuke settled in and watched over Naruto, waiting for Mizuki to arrive and for Naruto to spring the trap.
Naruto calmed himself and continued with his charade, giving off an embarrassed laugh. "I see. Looks like you finally caught up to me Iruka-sensei. At least I had time to learn a cool jutsu. If I show it to you, then I can pass like Mizuki-sensei said, right?"
"What do you mean, Naruto? He told you to steal the scroll?" Iruka asked.
"Yes I did, Iruka. Thank you for making this easy for me. Now hand over the scroll, Naruto." Mizuki stated in a sneer as he appeared on the scene.
"Why, Mizuki? Why steal the Forbidden Scroll?!" Iruka questioned demandingly.
"Well you would like to know, wouldn't you? Like I would just blab that out to you. Let's just say that it is my ticket out of here for some place better. I'm tired of being the lowly Academy teacher. With that scroll, I will obtain all the power I want and be in a better village than the fallen Leaf." Mizuki growled. "Now give me the scroll!"
"No! Naruto, run! Get out of here!" Iruka ordered as he positioned himself between Naruto and Mizuki.
Naruto got up and, for a moment, Iruka thought he was going to listen until Naruto strapped the scroll to his back and got into a fighting stance, but not before pressing a button on his belt.
"I don't think so, Mizuki. You are not getting this scroll, and I am not leaving you behind Iruka." Naruto replied with true determination and confidence in his voice.
"Don't be a fool, Naruto! This is a Chuunin instructor; you won't win this one!" Iruka pleaded desperately.
"Why are you defending him, Iruka? You know what he is. You know what that demon did to your family."
Iruka snapped his gaze back to Mizuki. "He is not that demon! SHUT UP!!"
Naruto gave off a scared look, but he took comfort in the fact that Iruka did not see him as that baka fox that he carried. As Mizuki started to reply, Naruto steeled himself. He knew it was time to act. When he heard Iruka defend him once more, Naruto decided to respond.
"Iruka, don't worry about it. I know about the Kyuubi." Naruto stated calmly.
Iruka turned to look at his student. He was concerned how this knowledge would have affected the energetic boy; especially since he was just reunited with family he never knew he had two short months ago. Naruto's next reply, however, brightened his heart.
"It meant a lot to me that you looked after me even though you knew about the demon inside me. Now let me show you that your trust was not wasted. Time to take out this traitor!" Naruto said defiantly.
Mizuki chuckled. "Come now, demon. There is no way you can win here. You can't stop this well laid plan."
It was Naruto's turn to laugh as he keyed the mike, dropping the Henge around the wireless radio so that Mizuki would realize the idiocy of his plan.
"Well I learned this one from a movie my Otousan watched with me," Naruto boasted. "You can take your well laid plan and shove it up your well laid ass."
"Fox to all team members. Trap is sprung. Trap is sprung." He made his familiar cross-symbol and announced his next move. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
With that one-hundred clones sprung into existence, as well as an order from his wireless radio.
"Blade to all team members. Engage targets at will. Capture the traitors."
Iruka was amazed. For a student who mere hours ago could not make a simple Bunshin now created one-hundred solid shadow clones.
"Like that will beat me. I can handle them all from here. I'll take you down with one blow." Mizuki sneered, confident in his abilities.
"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu (Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu)!" Sasuke called out before a shower of small flaming projectiles rained down on Mizuki, causing him to dodge right into the mass of Naruto's Kage Bunshins. The clones rained kicks and punches at Mizuki, overwhelming the Chuunin.
Iruka was stunned when he saw Sasuke drop from the trees and stand next to the fallen Academy instructor. Sauske finished his work by reaching into a small pack and retrieving some black rope and binding Mizuki's hands and feet, especially since the man was still reeling from the beating he was given by Naruto's Kage Bunshins.
"Nice work, dobe. It seems even you couldn't screw this up." Sasuke mocked, trying to get a rise out of his otouto.
"Knock it off, teme. We need to get this traitor out of here. Care to carry him, Iruka sensei?" Naruto replied, looking towards his long time friend and sensei.
Iruka shook off the shock of seeing these two in action and came to his senses. "Definitely, Naruto, but why are you two alone?"
"Otousan, Kakashi-sensei, and Anko-san are engaging another enemy in the distance, trying to capture someone who was set to capture Naruto as a part of someone's plan." Sasuke calmly answered as he double-checked on their prisoner's bonds.
"Well, I am impressed, you two. I guess your Otousan has done his job guiding you well." Iruka turned towards the young blond. "Naruto, before we go, close your eyes."
Naruto was bewildered at the request but trusted his sensei, so he did as he was told. After a couple seconds, he felt something tied to his forehead.
"Go ahead. Open your eyes." Naruto did so and saw his sensei and even Sasuke giving him a small smile. "Congratulations, you passed."
Naruto shakily touched his forehead and felt a worn hitai-ate tied firmly around his head. No one would get the grin off of his face.
A few moments ago
Chronos arrived at the position where Kakashi and Anko were stationed and was directed to the spot where the enemy was located.
He then heard Naruto's speech over the radio and decided it was time to act. He gave a simple hand sign and Anko and Kakashi dispersed to flank the enemy. Chronos unhooked his crossbow from his back and lashed a flash bolt to the housing, aiming carefully as he waited for the opportune moment.
"Fox to all team members. Trap is sprung. Trap is sprung."
Chronos knew there was no more time to waste and fired the bolt, landing it on a neighboring branch and making the area illuminate as if it were daytime. Chronos then lashed the crossbow and pulled out three shuriken while giving an order over the radio.
"Blade to all team members. Engage targets at will. Capture the traitors."
Instantly, Anko and Kakashi sprung into action. Anko launched a salvo of kunai which the opponent countered by leaping over them directly into Kakashi's attack.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)" With the attack called, the copy ninja'sfireball flew towards the enemy ninja, who calmly turned and countered.
"Doton: Koryuheki (Earth Style: Earth Wall)" The enemy whispered the jutsu and a stream of mud flowed through his mask to form a solid wall of dirt in front of him, taking the full brunt of the fireball. The wall was massive in size, causing Anko and Kakashi to scale trees to bypass it.
'So, I have to deal with Kakashi and Anko.' the assailant mused internally. 'They must have know we were coming. No matter, I will seize my target anyways.'
His train of thought was interrupted as the sound of flying shuriken came from behind him. 'A third pigeon, eh? I have not seen or felt this person's signature before. Best take him out first before those two get around the wall.' The masked ninja thought as he back-flipped off the wall avoiding the three shuriken thrown at his back and dashing towards Chronos.
Chronos stood fast and calm as the masked ninja came forward launching a flurry of punches which were easily dodged or swatted away. He wanted to grab one of those punches the masked man was firing to launch into a counter combination, but the speed of the punches was too fast to grab the limb.
Chronos suddenly ducked into a low sweep which the ninja avoided by leaping back. The masked opponent immediately dodged sideways as Anko summoned a couple of snakes which dropped from the trees. Kakashi, who was lying in wait, attacked him with his next jutsu.
"Kanashibari no Jutsu (Temporary Paralysis Technique)!" The lone masked ninja was frozen is his tracks, unable to wiggle free as the next two attacks were called out.
"Seneijashu." Four snakes propelled themselves from Anko's sleeves and wrapped themselves around the enemy's arms and legs, binding him further in place. The ANBU seemed to be struggling to break out of both jutsus but, unfortunately for him, the end was at hand.
"Tenohira Shuurai!" Chronos exclaimed as he thrust his right palm into the ninja's exposed side. A large burst of electric energy struck and the crackle of electricity pierced the night air. The enemy fell over and twitched slightly.
Kakashi and Anko joined Chronos in surrounding the ninja to ensure no escape occurred. Kakashi activated his radio.
"Wolfbane to Fox and Redeye. Secondary target obtained. Over."
"Redeye to Wolfbane. Primary target secured. No casualties. Heading back to tower. Over."
"Understood, Redeye. Wolfbane Out."
Chronos beamed at his work and looked at his two comrades. "It seems everything went as planned. Let's get this mask off him and drag his behind back to the tower."
Anko smirked, licking her lips. "I know a couple people that would love to get their hooks into this guy. I wouldn't mind getting a few minutes of work in on him."
Kakashi shook his head and reached down, discarding the mask. As soon as he did so, foam started spewing from the captured ninja's mouth and he convulsed violently.
"Kuso! Suicide Seal!" Kakashi exclaimed in disgust. "Coward."
As soon as those words were muttered, the fallen shinobi stopped twitching and his eyes rolled back. Chronos checked the pulse and found none.
"That was unfortunate. Hopefully Mizuki makes it back to the tower for interrogation." Anko nodded and Kakashi picked up the body and the mask, letting Chronos lead the trio back to the tower.
As they marched back, all Kakashi could think about was the suicide seal placed on the mask. Someone wanted to ensure that the ninja could not divulge any information. Whoever was involved behind this plot to grab Naruto had gone to great lengths so far and would most likely continue to do so. Kakashi knew though that Naruto was protected more now than in any point of his life with Chronos on the job. If Kakashi had his way, it would continue to be that way.
