A.N.: One more thanks to the ~400 people who bothered to read my story so far, sending imaginary cookies to whoever bothered to review.

To Sceptical: I you want to have a response to your opinions, please send a signed review. But becouse your concerns are valid, I address them anyway.

1) Tenzo couldn't suppress the Kyuubi's chakra without the Shodais's necklace. I'd have to reread the manga, but I think the necklace just makes the jutsu much easier to use.

2) Nobody getting away with killing Konoha Shinobi. That might have sounded a bit harsh, but there is a bit difference between what Sarutobi thinks and what he ends up doing. There's also a big difference between declaring war on one of the major countries and chasing a bunch of rogues. Also if Konoha appeared weak, everybody would try to walk all over them.

3) The Uchiha being discriminated against. If you look at the treatment of Sasuke, it seems that the Uchiha clan was generally well-loved. The only one who claimed they were shunned was Uchiha Madara and he's biased and raving mad. He also said it when he was convincing Sasuke to take his revenge on Konoha, ergo not the most trustworthy source of information.

That would be it, now on with the story.

A.N.2: Now reposted with less grammar and spelling errors.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I don't own Naruto. I don't own Naruto. How many times do I have to repeat it?

They covered the ground much faster then any civilian. The tracks in front of them were fresh and clear, so they could follow them without trouble even if they didn't have the keen noses of the Haimaru triplets to help them. Therefore they reached the city the bandit company had settled for the night not too long after sunset. Despite the late hour the streets were bustling with life, the streetlamps providing illumination rivaling daylight. Naruto was staring wide-eyed. He had never seen anything like this.

"How are we going to find them in here?" he wondered aloud. They managed to interrogate enough of the villagers to piece together the renegades' plans. It seemed they weren't overly concerned with discovery, their crime happening in one of the remotest parts of the Fire Country, but they weren't taking needless chances either. The peasants weren't sure about it, but it sounded like their leaders had some previous experience with evading law.

"I picked some scents on the way here," Hana announced. "Some of them I recognize from that village. But finding them among so many people won't be easy."

"Can you do it?" Tenzo asked.

"I think so. I can still smell their tracks," the Inuzuka assured them.

"Then lead on."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Blue Swan Inn~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heishiro locked himself in his room. He shut the windowpanes and cautiously made sure that he was really alone. If anybody saw him looking through the small closet or under the low bed, they would call him paranoid, but he knew better. It never hurt to make sure, it was the only think that kept him alive for his long dubious career.

His search concluded he calmed down. He truly was alone and safe. Only then he dared to take out a small pouch from a secret pocket in his vest. Despite its size the thing was heavy. Heishiro weighted it in his hand contentedly. He had never expected such a success when he had accepted his last job, but they had hit gold. Literally.

He laid the bag on the small table and carefully undid the string holding it close. He savored the moment as he slowly opened it. Its contents glinted bright yellow in the candlelight and he was once again struck by its sheer beauty. He could do nothing but stare at it for hours on end. This was what he always strived for.

The family he had been born into hadn't been poor, but they weren't wealthy either. They had never starved, but they couldn't afford anything costly as well. And to make the point clearer, they lived near the rich district in the capital, both of his parents being servants. He grew up surrounded by lavish luxury that wasn't his, knowing that he most likely would become a servant too, silent, invisible, catering to his masters' needs without even being acknowledged.

Heishiro hated such life. He decided to change it and find his own destiny. He had no set plan until one day he encountered a ninja. That young man was hired by one of the local nobles for something or other, Heishiro never knew nor cared, but he was amazed at the power the shinobi emitted. Here was a person who didn't have to bow to anyone, strong enough to go wherever he wanted and fell whoever stood in his way. It was then that Heishiro knew what his path in life would be.

He ran from home the following day. He barely remembered to leave a note for his parents. It was the last time he ever saw them, but it never really bothered him. His old way of life simply gave way for a new one. That was how things were.

He wandered for weeks before he eventually reached Konoha. He felt like he entered heaven. For a long time he just strolled down the streets and admired the shinobi and kunoichi milling around. Then he entered the Ninja Academy.

It had been a huge disappointment. He had to endure useless lessons of history and when it came to the practical ones, he found himself left in the dust by his snotty clan brats of classmates. Once again he found himself in a world of nobility who towered above him, ready to stomp him in the ground like a bug without even caring. He tried to study harder, but to no avail. He flunked. He couldn't bring himself to admit it was from a lack of talent, he blamed favoritism instead. He never managed to graduate.

After four years he left the Village Hidden in the Leaves and set on the road again. He appropriated a sword and became a mercenary instead. Even his meager ninja training gave him an edge against other swordsmen for hire and he soon found himself the commander of a small company. And because of his abilities he was able to secure lucrative contracts. For a while things were looking up.

But all too soon he found out that people who wanted some really important job done well hired shinobi. The thought never failed to make him furious. Just what was so wonderful about them? His lads could do their work just as well, yet they never got their hands on any really big money. They were making a decent income, but it was never enough for Heishiro.

He changed his career again. He figured that if people wouldn't pay him money, he'll have to take it instead. He became a highwayman instead. To his great dismay he realized that few people carried large amounts of cash while traveling and those who did brought a lot of skilled guards along.

Another thing he failed to take into consideration was the law enforcement. Soon they were being chased by samurai battalions all around the countryside. He escaped, but too many of his comrades weren't so lucky. But he didn't care. It wasn't like thy had been close friends or something.

He decided to lie low and refrain from crossing the law for a while. What was left of his company alongside with a couple of others was hired to guard an expedition into the Grey Mist Mountains. It was a perfect opportunity to lie low and make some money to boot. The cold and humid climate of the mountains was a bit of a downside, but it was better than the gallows.

And then it happened. One of the prospectors randomly digging into the ground actually dug out gold. Nobody could quite believe their eyes, something about the peak not being the right kind of stone for this, but there was the proof lying in front of their eyes. And there was more of it. The group decided to stay there for longer than planned and eke some more.

Heishiro watched as the pile grew and with it grew his temptation. Soon it became too much to resist. He spoke to his old comrades and some of the new ones. It didn't take long for a plan to form. It was rather simplistic, but he never believed in complicated ones. They tended to backfire. And backfiring plans were one thing Heishiro hated even more than being poor and insignificant.

Unfortunately even the most straightforward of schemes could go wrong, as he soon realized. Someone warned the expedition and they and a few of the new guards were alert and waiting when they attacked. Also some of the prospectors were quite skilled in wielding hammers and pickaxes and were willing to use them to crack skulls instead of rocks. A battle broke out. His group eventually prevailed thanks to their greater numbers and experience, but not before they suffered casualties. And he strongly suspected somebody managed to escape, but he wasn't about to chase them over the steep peaks. The chances of them reaching civilization were low anyway and by the time they could reach the authorities his gang would be long gone. They just gathered what gold they could find and set for a journey to the lowlands.

They went too slow. It irked Heishiro, but he couldn't do much about it. Some of his guys were wounded, one of them even dying. They stopped in the nearest village until they recuperated. It took too long in his opinion. And to top it of his new band couldn't even behave themselves, needlessly showing that they lived on the other side of the law. He was half tempted just to abandon them to their fates, but he would be risking a mutiny. So he stayed, nearly tearing out his hair with impatience, half expecting soldiers to appear at any time. But none did. Yet he didn't allow himself to relax until they were back on the road. And once they entered the city, he was positive they've shaken any potential pursuit.

But as he retied the pouch, his ears picked a noise that didn't belong in the inn. He straightened up and listened, his hand grabbing the handle of his katana. Then it sounded again. Just a dog, he recognized it now. He couldn't believe he got so worked up for some stupid mangy mutt. All this stress must be getting to him. He needed a nice long vacation. Fortunately he could afford it now. He released the hold on his sword.

Then the door opened suddenly and he realized that trouble had found him after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~On the street~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Here," Hana pointed at a two-story building. It bore a sign saying 'Blue Swan Inn'.

"Are you sure?" Naruto doubted. It looked too respectable to be full of criminals.

"Of course I am sure," the kunoichi snapped. "What have I told you about Inuzuka noses?"

"I know," the youth threw his hands up defensively, "I just never imagined bandit hideouts like this."

"And how should it look like then?" Hotaru raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know," the boy answered, "This just looks too respectable."

"Appearances are often misleading," Tenzo commented philosophically.

"How are we going to do it?" Hotaru considered. "There are too many civilians to just barge in and it's not like the bandits have it written on their foreheads."

"Have I taught you nothing?" their sensei sighed. "Remember. Lesson number three: if you don't know, gather information."

"So no battle today," Naruto grimaced. "Pity. I just wanted to try out my new jutsu."

"Don't you even think about it," Tenzo chastised him. "You nearly destroyed your own lungs the last time."

"Yes, I have no intention of patching you back together again, if you do," Hana added.

"You're mean," the boy pouted, but didn't press the issue.

"So what exactly is the plan?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A couple of minutes later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tenzo received the covert signals that everybody was on their positions and ready to begin. He stood in front of the door one of Hana's dogs marked as belonging to one of the bandits they believed to be the leader. He signaled for the operation to commence, then opened the door. The man inside had time only to open his mouth before the jounin was upon him. He stunned him by hitting a pressure point before the man could sound alarm.

'Success,' he signaled to his squad. They entered the room, the girls through the door, Naruto through the window. He was chosen to guard it for his ability to remain unnoticed even on a plain wall. Nobody ever figured out how he was doing it, for him it was just instinct.

They eyed the captive now lying tied on the floor.

"Did we really get the right one?" Naruto questioned. "I didn't picture him quite like that from the description."

"You're right," Hana admitted. "I chose the wrong scent to follow, but it certainly is one of the bandits. Look," she pointed at a backpack with the logo of the mining company.

"He can tell us where the others are just as well as anybody else," Tenzo stated and prepared a silencing barrier.

The interrogation didn't take long, the bird had started singing almost as soon as they began. They now had the numbers of the rooms the rest of the band stayed in and most importantly the location of its leader. They went to work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Heishiro's room~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Your dinner, sir," the boy carrying the tray announced in the polite impersonal voice of all professional servants. It reminded Heishiro of his humble origins and therefore always pissed him off.

"I haven't ordered any," bandit growled and scowled. And if he remembered correctly, this particular inn didn't cater to guests that way. The child clearly wasn't who he claimed to be. The only question was, what did he want?

Heishiro grabbed his katana again. The impostor servant walked into the room ignoring his dismissal.

"I was told to deliver it here," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Leave. Now," the thief commanded.

"But sir, I…" the brat started setting the tray on the table. Heishiro unsheathed his sword menacingly. The squirt looked completely harmless, but it never hurt to be prepared. That was his credo.

"Didn't you understand? I said leave." He leaned forward and twisted his face into a threatening grimace. The little rat cowered under his glare.

An almost imperceptible hint of movement was the only warning he had. He instinctively jumped away. A small pouch flew through the spot his head had occupied just a moment before and exploded into a cloud of bluish smoke. His eyes darted towards the still open door. A girl was standing there, readying for another throw. Ninja, damn it. Although he held his skills in high regard, he knew he was way out of his league here. He'd have to take a hostage. He went for what he perceived as the easier target.

He lunged at the boy.

Naruto was momentarily startled by the bandit's speed, but instincts honed through countless training sessions kicked in. He smoothly evaded the attack. He realized he was facing common mission mishap number two: a supposedly civilian opponent has basic shinobi training. He sent a silent thanks to his sensei for preparing him for such occasion.

He dove down and punched the leg trying to kick him in the knee. The man was thrown off balance, but he quickly recovered and swung his sword at him.

"Naruto!" Hana yelled from the door and rushed to help him. She needn't have bothered. Naruto was as quick as ever and swiftly slid on the floor between the swordsman's legs, avoiding the danger altogether.

By that time Hana reached the highwayman and slammed into him. He was able to block her slashing claw, but the impact sent him flying backwards, right on top of Naruto.

"Ooooomph," cried the unlucky blond. Nobody paid him any heed, Hana being too busy pummeling the murderer, the man trying to block her hits, mostly unsuccessfully.

After what seemed like a long time they finally rolled off him and he was able to breathe and move again. He jumped to his feet and kicked the bandit's head. The bloke slumped unconscious. Hana paid it no heed, she proceeded beating the living daylight out of him.

"Enough," commanded a strong voice. She punched her victim a couple more times before registering it. She looked behind and noticed the figure of her sensei. When did he come in?

"What was that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

"I…" she hesitated. What did just happen? The man had attacked Naruto and then…something inside her had snapped.

"He was attacking Naruto," she said lamely.

"Bah," the boy in question brushed it off. "It wasn't like he could really hit me. I'm better than that."

"I know, it's just that…" 'I can't bear the thought of losing another teammate,' she thought, but couldn't bring herself to say aloud. She felt immensely stupid.

"It doesn't really matter now, but we'll be finishing this conversation," Tenzo promised. "Now let's see whether the racket you made alerted the others."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The following day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It turned out that they needn't have worried. Most of the culprits weren't in the inn anyway, most of them opting to celebrate their successful robbery by blowing away the money in bars, gambling parlors and brothels. They had to stay up all the night up and wait for them, but they captured them all without further incidents. In the morning they handed them over to the local authorities. They weren't equipped for handling that many prisoners.

Tenzo gave them the day off to rest and explore the city. The girls took the opportunity enthusiastically. They didn't need any particular reason for a shopping spree. Chances were the stores here sold a different fashion than in Konoha.

Naruto stayed with Tenzo. There was something he wanted to talk to the older man about, but didn't want anyone to overhear.

"Tenzo," he started in a small voice.

"What is it, Naruto?" the former ANBU was suddenly concerned. His young charge sounded uncharacteristically subdued.

"I have to tell you something I couldn't tell you before."

"About what?" the jounin wondered. A lot of things had happened during the mission and they had already talked about them.

"In the valley, after I fell. I saw it. It spoke to me." He didn't have to clarify. Tenzo immediately knew what he meant. He straightened up.

"What did it have to say?" His mind came up with various theories, most of them either very worrisome or extremely far-fetched.

"Not much," Naruto answered. "Just that I should be grateful to it for everything and that if it really wanted to, it could cause me a lot of trouble."

"Don't worry about it too much," his guardian tried to console him. "The seal should hold it back. I'll have somebody look at you once we get back to Konoha. And for now, I can always suppress it, you know."

"I know," the blond replied, "but…"

"You're still afraid," the Mokuton wielder guessed.

"Yes," the jinchuuriki admitted.

"I understand," the older man said. "I would be too in your place. Just don't let it bother you too much."

"I'll try," the boy promised.

"That's all I ask for," he ruffled Naruto's hair. "Now, go and enjoy the city."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Noon~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jiraiya decided to take a break from his search. He spent a month trying to find out where the missing nin who had attacked team Yagi came from. There wasn't much to start from, but he wasn't just some green kid new in the information business. He was Jiraiya of the Sannin, Konohagakure's spymaster. (And also a super-pervert, but it didn't matter now.) He wasn't to be deterred by such minor drawbacks.

It took him weeks, but he finally came upon a rumor of a place taking in rogue ninja. He couldn't find out anything definite, but he managed to confirm that it really existed. He just couldn't pinpoint its location or who was behind it. He just got the vague feeling that this was going to be big, probably even a new Hidden village in the making. Once there used to be a dime a dozen such villages, wandering clans banding together to improve their chances of survival all the time, but with every major war their number declined, they either joined one of the preexisting powers or ended up obliterated. There hadn't been a new village founded since the Third Great Shinobi war ended.

And now there was another in the making. It put the Toad Sage on edge. It was a daring endeavor and whoever had put it into motion and managed to keep it under wraps, probably for quite some time, had to be good. Very good. There never were many ninja of such caliber. Most of them were either leaders or at least prominent members of well established villages. Those who weren't usually had to leave their homes due to their psychopathic tendencies. Jiraiya didn't want to think of the implications of somebody like them in charge of a large ninja force. Last time it had happened a major war started.

He wanted to just forget all about it. That is why after meeting his contact he went to relax at the local hot springs. There was nothing like an afternoon of research to soothe his troubled mind. He took out his pen and notepad and settled down comfortably next to a hole in the fence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Downtown~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Naruto felt relieved after his talk with Tenzo. He grabbed a couple of hours of sleep and then headed to the city. He rarely wandered the streets of Konoha and never on his own. It was too dangerous, not to mention unpleasant. But here he could walk without fear. Nobody glared at him in the streets, people treated him politely. It felt like a dream.

Soon he became bored with simply strolling around and decided to do something. But what? There wasn't that much entertainment open to eight-year-old boys and those that would admit him were too childish. And Naruto didn't consider himself a child anymore. No, he was now a ninja, no matter that he was probably the youngest and shortest ninja in Konoha. He briefly considered joining his two kunoichi teammates on their shopping trip, but he had heard some horror stories about girls looking for new clothes and decided against it.

He stopped for lunch at a ramen stand, but was disappointed by their products. They had nothing on Ichiraku's. Or maybe he just couldn't enjoy it properly because Ayame and Teuchi weren't there. He soon left and looked through several other streets. Then he came across a place that seemed perfect for spending a relaxing afternoon. He never enjoyed the hot springs in Konoha for the same reason he never spent much time downtown. But here he could spend a whole afternoon soaking in peace. Life, though, had a different plan.

He hadn't been enjoying the warm water for more than half an hour when an angry yell resounded from behind the wall separating the men's and women's part. What was worse, he recognized the voice. It was Hana. His teammate was in trouble. It was everything he needed to know. He rushed to her aid.

Hana wasn't having a good day. First the trouble in the inn, then the threat of her sensei forcing her to talk about painful topics, and now a pervert tried to peep on her when she decided to relax in the spa for a bit. After everything that happened during the last week, she sorely needed a day off. And now some lurking creep tried to take even that from her. He had to pay.

She shouted a battle cry and started after him. The other women quickly caught on. Unfortunately the voyeur was quick on his feet and disappeared into the traffic on the main street. She had half a mind to follow him by his scent, but she didn't want to run around the town clad only in a wet towel. The pervert would surely appreciate that. She returned to the springs. She came onto a most curious sight.

Naruto suddenly realized something. He was clad only in a towel. He was in the women's part of the hot springs. He couldn't see his teammates anywhere. He was alone among many angry females who took notice of him. He was screwed.

Hana could just stare in amazement. There was her shortest teammate surrounded by a bunch of women, looking extremely young and lost.

"Defending your friend like that? That's just too sweet," one of the ladies exclaimed. "Such a brave boy," another added. "Just adorable," the third one cooed. Naruto shivered. Yes, he was indeed doomed.

Jiraiya landed on the roof, perfectly concealed by one of his techniques. The girls were prettiest when they were angry. The rooftop gave him a perfect view. Then he noticed something out of order. Who was there among so many ladies? Was that Naruto? Yes, there were the whisker marks. It was him. But what was he doing here? The self-proclaimed super pervert decided it didn't really matter, as long as the boy was getting lucky. He took out his trusty notepad and started scribbling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Evening~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The squad have returned to their hotel (not the Blue Swan, they weren't welcome there anymore). They mutually decided not to mention the spa disaster to anyone ever again. It took nearly an hour before Naruto managed to escape the clutches of overly affectionate elderly ladies intent on coddling him like a baby. He was sure the experience would haunt his nightmares for years to come.

Before they could go to sleep, Tenzo called Hana aside.

"So, are you ready to talk about yesterday now?" he said. It wasn't a question.

"I guess," she sighed. "It's just… when I saw him swinging his sword at Naruto, it was like I was back there again. I saw Juubei and Tokita and Yagi-sensei and I just saw red. I'm sorry, I know I botched it but… I swore I wouldn't let a teammate die again." She finished her speech and looked into his eyes.

"I understand," he nodded gravely. "Most ninja do. Losing a comrade is always painful, but you must not let it consume you. You had almost no time to grieve which makes it feel still fresh, but you have to overcome it. You don't want to end up like a certain acquaintance of mine, who spends every spare minute staring at the Memorial stone."

"Somebody actually does that?" she raised her eyebrows curiously.

"Yes," Tenzo confirmed. "He's been at it for years."

"I really don't want to end up like him," the Inuzuka shuddered.

"I believe you," her sensei said. "And for now – trust in your team. It's commendable to risk yourself to help your comrades, but you can't do it constantly. They are both capable shinobi and they don't need you holding their hands. It's insulting to them. They can take care of themselves. If you rush to aid one, you leave the other's flank unguarded. It's something you cannot afford in battle. So just trust them to do their job. Understand?"

"Yes," she nodded, "I understand. I just don't know whether I can always abide."

"Nobody knows. Just do you best," he smiled reassuringly.

"I will," she stated solemnly. "I promise."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Several days later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They reported their findings to the mining company. The bosses seemed ecstatic when they heard about the gold, furious when they found out that some witnesses were sitting in a prison somewhere, able to tell somebody about the new lode. The demise of their employees left them only mildly perturbed, if not entirely indifferent. Tenzo had to covertly step on Naruto's foot to prevent him saying anything about that.

Then there came the question of payment. Somebody had the gall to claim that since they weren't able to keep the findings of the expedition secret, they didn't deserve their money. Naruto had to be bodily restrained by his teammates. Assaulting the clients would leave them with no pay for sure. Tenzo calmly stated that their mission directives said nothing about that and if he disagreed, maybe he could discuss it with the Hokage and the man had to grudgingly admit that they fulfilled all stated objectives. They collected their earnings and headed for Konoha. They couldn't wait to get home.

They ran through the familiar forest. The village gates should appear anytime now. There. But, what was that? The team came to a halt. There have never been so much guards standing at the gates, not unless there was a war. Had one broken out? Sure they would have heard something, wouldn't they? Ninja wars did tend to start very suddenly sometimes.

Their elation suddenly gone, they approached the gates at a cautious pace. They showed their identifications and mission scroll to the chuunin on guard.

"What happened here?" Tenzo inquired. "Or is it classified?"

"No, it's not," the man answered. "Something like this cannot be kept under wraps anyway. The Uchiha clan has been massacred."

"What?!"

Next time: The aftermath and maybe a new mission?