Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 3

The Beginnings of Team 7, Tension.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

"Jutsu"

"Tailed Beast Speak"

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

Alright, for this long awaited chapter we have Naruto and the squad getting introduced and relatively getting their feelings on each other out. After that, Kakashi does his bell test to see if an assassin can really work with a book smart fan girl and a haughty Uchiha. Well, I'm sure Naruto can meet his haughtiness with his own, if you haven't noticed he isn't exactly taking the whole integration into ninja life very well.

Now onto the show!

000

The Creed

Stay your blade from innocents

See but be unseen

Never compromise the Assassins

Nothing is true, everything is permitted.

000

Konohagakure

Academy Roof

The three new genin stood apart from one another, each with their own thoughts of their pairings and the teacher himself. At the moment Kakashi just had them facing towards him as he leaned against the guard rail, hoping to fish out some reaction from them. He was especially hoping for Naruto to say something, but he didn't expect much after the first minute or so had passed.

'Hm..guess he really doesn't remember me..'

"Is there a point to this? I'd like to get this moving along.." Sasuke and Sakura looked at their team-mate in surprise, they didn't expect him to speak out against the Jonin's instructions.

'Who is this guy? He must think he is pretty strong to be that bold..I wonder how I measure up to him.' Sasuke analyzed him, finding it difficult to get a good reading of his strength with only knowing him for a few minutes.

'What? I've never seen someone speak out against a sensei so casually..I hope we don't get dragged into this too..'

'If we do, we'll just have to beat the crap out of him after this is over!'

Sakura didn't like it but she had to concur with her inner personality, getting on their teacher's bad side so early would only spell trouble for them. The guy had obviously not taken any class with them in the academy so she couldn't read him or his personality very well, however, if he thought he could get away with that talk he was dead wrong. Their teacher may have seemed like a slacker with his tardiness but Sakura could tell he was a very powerful shinobi and she was taught that the powerful demanded respect, which she would readily give.

"Oh ho..." Kakashi pretended to be surprised by the outburst. "Looks like someone is in a hurry, anything in particular you would like us to do next?" Naruto stared him down with a serious face, he didn't like being made fun of.

"I expected you to actually teach me something or take us on a mission, isn't that your duty as a Jonin of this village?" He responded, sarcastically.

"Who do you-"

"Alright, how about we learn a little about everyone here for our introductions then we can see about teaching you something." Sakura was about to reprimand him when Kakashi read the situation and settled to appease the blonde.

Naruto stood there a moment, unmoving. Sakura figured he would try and make another argument but surprisingly he knelt down on one knee to get comfortable and waited. Sasuke huffed and soon sat down too in his usual thinking pose with both hands interlaced in front of his face. The only female looked between the two as if she missed the memo and just gave an explosive sigh before sitting down in the middle. Kakashi gave a forced smile at their reactions and decided to move on.

"Well, now that we are all settled, let's start with your introductions. Why don't you start since you seem so eager to move on.." Kakashi pointed at Naruto and the boy shrugged and hesitated giving Sakura her chance to intercede.

"But sensei, you should go first to show us what we should do. What are we even supposed to say? Its not fair to-"

"My name is Naruto Namikaze, son of Minato Namikaze and the Yondaime Hokage." Sakura and Sasuke's heads swiveled as soon as he said those words, there was no way that he was the son of the Fourth!

"But..I thought the Fourth didn't have any children.." Sakura mumbled as she tried to remember what she read in her text books while Sasuke just eyed Naruto in a whole new light.

'Son of the previous Hokage? He must be powerful, he is a perfect match up on this team after all, I thought I'd be stuck with Sakura this entire time, but it looks like I have a real sparring partner.'

"I have few likes that I would share with you, and even less personal information that would be safe to say. It isn't like my clan to involve outsiders in our personal affairs.." They figured his clan was pretty tight knit from that statement, especially considering they hadn't seen any around before like him.

"But its safe to say that I hate criminals and those who would upset peace in the world. I live by the Creed to keep the world in balance.." Kakashi remembered Minato saying similar things to him when he would speak of himself, living by the Creed and protecting innocents.

"And I have but one goal, to resurrect my clan and show Konoha the true might of the Namikaze Assassins!" Sasuke showed response but a nod of his head, he understood the feeling and had a similar goal.

Sakura and Kakashi both felt like that was just skimming the surface of Naruto's thoughts, but it was about all they were going to get out of him. When he said there was little he liked, the Jonin felt a little stab of shame when he did not mention him at all. It seemed Naruto really had forgotten about their relationship over the past eight years.

Sakura on the other hand was very intrigued by what Naruto said, remembering a few texts about assassins in their textbook. There was apparently a clan of assassins that had existed within Konoha since its founding, but they didn't have a compound in the village so it was rare to ever see one. It wasn't until about a decade ago that sightings of them just stopped happening all together and everyone believed they had left. Sakura looked at Naruto again and looked him over, they were described to wear a special robe that not only represented their clan amongst other assassins but also kept all their equipment and hid their identity to an extent.

'Yep, he looks like the real deal. I wonder what he's doing in our squad though. I figured that if the assassins still were around, they wouldn't want to be seen by the public.'

"Alright Naruto, that sounded pretty good for putting you on the spot. Now then, how about you." Sakura was still looking at Naruto in curiosity and didn't notice she had been called until a few moments after he said it.

"Uh, right!" She blushed in embarrassment and thought over what to say.

"My name is Sakura Haruno and I'm thirteen years old. I like.." Sakura glanced at Sasuke and blushed again with a dreamy smile. "My dream is..well..I mean what I want to do.." Sakura looked at Sasuke again and blushed before looking back at her sensei. "And my dislikes are other girls who get in my way."

Kakashi sweatdropped, it sounded like this girl didn't have much ambition past getting married to the Uchiha. That would be a problem if she wanted to be a ninja, especially if she wanted to be a ninja on his squad. It looked like she had plenty of intelligence, but her physical activity was low enough where she wouldn't last in a fight for long. He could already tell that their first real mission could be very disastrous.

"Okay..well Sakura that was very..enlightening." Sakura smiled and bowed as if the compliment wasn't sarcastic. Kakashi looked over at the solemn Uchiha and inclined his head. "Your turn."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha..and I don't like very many things. I also have a lot of things I hate.." Sasuke sent a cutting glare toward Sakura but Naruto could feel the intent and met his glare with one of his own.

The stare-off didn't last long between the two before Sasuke looked back and closed his eyes making Naruto look back toward the ground as if nothing happened. Sakura thought that at first Sasuke had been kidding when he looked at her with that stare, but she was literally shaking afterward when it still felt like his eyes were boring into her. Was that really Sasuke telling how he felt about her?

'Sasuke..' She risked a glance toward him to see him collecting his thoughts.

"But I have on goal..no, not a goal. A dream that I will make reality, I will kill a certain someone and restore my clan to its former power. I will stop at nothing to accomplish this and will not accept any obstacle." After the performance, Kakashi felt like there was a lot of pent up feelings already between the three.

'Maybe I'm over my head on this one.'

"Okay, now its my turn. My name is Kakashi Hatake and I'm your Jonin instructor..let's see.." Kakashi scratched his head in mock thought while they waited. "I have some things I like..and some things I don't like. Neither of which are relevant..oh, and neither are any of my goals. There ya go." The three had their own reactions to his own introduction, the most animated being no other than Sakura.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" She yelled out loud in frustration making Kakashi do a double take of the polite girl from before to the steaming one now.

"Tch." Sasuke just looked off to the side, not bothering to get involved.

"Hmph..figures." Naruto did the same not wanting anything to do with the argument.

"Hehe..I'm sure we will get along just fine." Kakashi scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward already with their responses. "We'll have our first mission tomorrow, so be ready when you get up in the morning." The three were a bit surprised, they didn't expect their first mission already.

Naruto got up and started to walk over to the ledge making all the eyes shift to him. "I hope its more entertaining than this meeting was.." Kakashi watched him as he went and put on another smile.

"Oh, I'm sure it will be. Its a survival exercise, one in which we will all participate in together." Naruto stopped mid-step and turned around, eying Kakashi.

"I was under the impression you were done with exercises, aren't we supposed to have a real mission by now?" Sakura looked between the two for a moment before raising her hand to speak.

"I agree Kakashi-sensei, I mean we already learned all that in the academy right? Shouldn't we be moving onto a real mission to get experience.." She lost her train of thought as the teacher looked at her, quieting her protest.

"This isn't like your other training, its..different." Kakashi answered her while shrugging, enjoying how his nonchalant attitude frustrated the girl.

"Out of the twenty seven graduates, only nine will actually become genin. The others are sent back to the academy in similar tests to this one, to see who really has what it takes to go on missions for the village." That was a bombshell for Sasuke and Sakura realizing they might have to go back to the academy if they fail.

Naruto on the other hand wasn't impressed and crossed his arms in defiance. He never went to the ninja academy and neither was he required to become a ninja in the first place. Even though he didn't care much if the man decided to fail him or not, he doubted that he would be allowed to. Naruto shifted his eyes to the other two genin who looked unsettled, as for them he could care less what happened to them.

'As long as they stay out of my way during this test, then we won't have any problems.'

"Well then, if there aren't any questions we're done here. Be at training ground seven at 6:00 and don't be late, be sure to bring all your ninja gear, and.." Kakashi let his voice take a more serious tone to spook them a bit. "don't eat breakfast, or else you'll throw it up."

Naruto shifted and unfolded his arms, that was an odd request. Sakura was surprised too and looked sadly at her stomach, it seemed her diet won this round. Sasuke just glared Kakashi down in challenge, he wasn't afraid of some idle threat.

"Alright then, see ya." Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving the three genin to go about their own day for the rest of the time.

"Well that was a load of-" Sakura looked to her left and then to her right to see both of her so called team-mates leaping off the edge of the building, not bothering to listen to her.

'Who the hell do they think they are?'

Sakura fizzled for a little bit before stomping her foot on the ground and screaming at the top of her lungs.

"WHY DO THEY ALWAYS IGNORE ME?"

000

Konohagakure

Streets

Naruto left the angry Haruno and brooding Uchiha for his own preparations for their test tomorrow. While he had the utmost confidences in his own abilities, he couldn't say he trust his team-mates to do much. In that respect and also because it was long overdue, Naruto decided it was time to pay a visit to a specialty shop that used to cater to his clan for supplies. It wasn't a normal ninja store, they didn't sell the right weaponry that the Namikaze favored so that meant Naruto had to go off the beaten trail a bit.

As he walked through the alleys, he realized that he would eventually have to walk amongst the people if he wanted to get where he needed to go. He remembered that his father said the people were not ready for his return yet, so he decided to forgo the streets and head for the roof instead. With a quick climb up the side of the building's wall, Naruto was jumping to and from rooftops to reach his destination.

A few other ninja were out that day it looked like, he saw their blurs jump to and from nearby rooftops and wondered what their destination was. Would they notice him? What would they do?

'What can they do? As long as I have this headband, they won't touch me.'

Naruto felt a certain level above all these shinobi of Konoha for some reason, but his cockiness was even starting to disturb himself. The way he talked to the Jonin wasn't the best way to handle things, but he couldn't stand just waiting around and doing nothing. He wanted to learn what he could and do what he had to before moving on, he didn't expect to do much more for the village than that.

He neared his destination, a seemingly innocent rooftop with a small ledge on one side. Naruto moved over to the ledge and hung from it to have a better view of the wall; there was a small window he could jump through to get inside. Naruto swung his body to get enough power and jumped through effortlessly where he landed feet first inside.

The building was apparently made of only a few rooms but Naruto was currently inside the storage area. He figured that since there was plenty of ninja equipment in the back the store doubled as a ninja shop as well to keep others from asking questions. Naruto made his way to the front of the warehouse room and hoped the owners were still around, let alone remember what an assassin looked like.

Pausing at the door, Naruto tried to listen for any activity on the other side. Some light muffles were heard through the door, but nothing that gave away a person. Naruto sighed as he set his gloved hand on the doorknob and hoped there really was someone here. Apparently from what his father said, they were the only ones willing to supply the Namikaze anything these days and were supposedly very loyal.

'They'd better be here, or else I'll hunt them down myself.'

Naruto opened the door and entered the main room. Within there was little in the way of furniture, but it was radically different from the dusty dark warehouse in the back. Decorated with the Namikaze symbol (Assassin Diamond) from hanging flags, they made it obvious who they proudly served. A few neat cushions lay on the clean floor along with a couch nearby for comfortable sitting while browsing a catalog or speaking with friends. And finally there was a counter where customers made their purchases, it was made of some sort of wood but better yet there was someone behind it to speak with.

Even better, there were two. A father along with a younger girl, around his age if not a little a younger. The older man had light bark brown hair that was tied into a small pony tail. The girl had long brown hair that reached far down her back, even longer than Sakura's. Both eyed his entry with interest as if they had been expecting him or at least someone to walk in for quite some time.

"Namikaze-sama, we are honored to have you here again. Please, enter." The man graciously bowed along with his daughter as he welcomed him in.

'They seem polite enough..'

"Its good that this business still exists, I was afraid it would become inactive as time passed." Naruto remarked as he walked over to one of the flags, feeling the texture and realized it wasn't brittle and old but newly sewn.

"We have waited for your arrival for quite some time Namikaze-sama, we were alerted that you would visit us around this time many years ago. When we finally reached this month, my daughter and I practically leaped for joy I kid you not! She spent many months creating those tapestries to hang up for your arrival.." Naruto heard him trail off and looked behind him to see them slightly shaking in anxiousness, especially the girl.

"They are wonderfully crafted, you truly have a talent for this." Naruto said with genuine interest as he smiled at them. "May I have your names? My father never told me who to expect when I came to this safe house, I figured it would be abandoned." The two looked at each other as if they were surprised by his kindness.

"But father, I thought you said they weren't as polite. He seems very nice.."

"Yes, I'm surprised as well. Let us hope we can sell him something and keep him happy!"

Naruto listened in on their private conversation and frowned as it seemed his clan wasn't known for being very kind to those who helped them. Even though things didn't go the way the Namikaze would have wanted, Naruto didn't see it as giving them permission to treat people so badly.

"M-my name is Ai, Ai Shimizu. Its a pleasure to meet you Namikaze-sama." Naruto could barely hear her with such a soft voice but thought the name was simple and rolled off the tongue well.

"Ai..that means love doesn't it?" She quickly nodded and Naruto smiled. "It fits you, as does your surname." She wasn't sure she understood but she blushed at his smile, her father had prepared her for the worst but he seemed so nice.

"And you sir?" The man had waited to be acknowledged and bowed again, even lower because he was a self-sworn servant to the Namikaze since birth.

"My name is Kaito Shimizu, it is a pleasure to serve you Namikaze-sama. My family has been helping the assassins of the Namikaze for the past five or six generations, since Konoha's founding. As I have served, so shall my daughter, we do so with pleasure knowing we help you who keep the world in check and balance. Those who strike out against the corrupt in the open and then leave without a trace. We praise-" Naruto held up a hand for silence as he snickered, surprising the man.

"I mean no disrespect Shimizu-san, however, you do not have to speak such a eulogy to me. I am a mere novice assassin of a dead clan, I don't deserve such praise when I have not even made a single kill." They were shocked into quiet, they had never heard of a humble Namikaze since the Fourth. "But thank you, it pleases me to know that some people still see my clan in a good light. What little light there is left, that is." Naruto ended on a sad note as he looked back at the Namikaze emblem in sad remembrance.

"Ah..of course Namikaze-sama! The disrespect the village showed your family for the past decades has been almost unbearable for all Shimizu. It was only by Minato Namikaze-sama's words that kept us from open revolt, he told us that we must bide our time and wait for someone to come along and bring light back to the village. He said that the person would make an appearance some time in the future, so we figured it would be..you." He finished uncertain as Naruto seemed a bit confused but also shocked, his father said that of him?

"Did you know Minato-sama?" Ai asked uncertain but curious from Naruto's reaction to the name; he nodded.

"Yes..he is..my father." Naruto was joined in shock by them again as he contemplated just what it was his father had expected him to do.

'Father, you said you didn't want me to feel pressured into bringing the Namikaze back yet..you gave these people false hope that that was indeed my plan from the start. What were you trying to accomplish?'

"Minato-sama is your father..so that means..you are Naruto-sama?" He was surprised when Kaito immediately stepped out from the counter and bowed deep in front of Naruto, almost touching the ground with his forehead.

"I, Kaito Shimizu, swear to serve you with my loyal service until the day my body can no longer be of use to you. I also swear that my dau-" Naruto wasn't used to this behavior and sought to stop him before he made a mistake.

"Now wait-"

"Father! You said you would allow me to make the decision!" Ai shouted annoyed at her father's ignorance as they turned to watch her walk up to Naruto and bow next to her father.

"I, Ai Shimizu, swear to serve you for as long as my body will allow me to, so that you may spread your creed and your justice across the shinobi nations." Naruto couldn't find anything to express what he was feeling now, surprise, pride, anxiousness?

"I..I don't know what to say.." They remained in their place, not meeting his eyes. "Please rise, there is no need to bow to me.." They looked at each other and then slowly stood up and looked at him uncertain of his words.

"I don't know if I'm worthy of those oaths, but I'll do my best to make sure you won't regret saying them. Thank you for your support." Naruto slowly took off his hood allowing them to see his face before giving them a small bow in return as thanks.

"Naruto-sama.." Kaito began to tear up in pride and quickly wiped them away. Ai blushed at seeing Naruto's face and just smiled at his kindness.

"Well, I'm sure you didn't come here just to make sure we were still around. Please Naruto-sama, let's get you some supplies." Naruto looked up and saw the two had walked back to the counter and were waiting to take his order, both with smiles on their faces.

Naruto stood straight again and put his hood back over his head, all the while smirking. It seemed that the Namikaze name truly did have strong followers still and Naruto was determined to spread their influence even further. If he had to pass some survival exercise, then he would do so with the best the Shimizu had to offer.

"Very well then, I'll have the usual load out." Kaito reached behind the counter and grabbed a small piece of paper where he had written down what the Namikaze usually chose when they came, expecting such for the occasion.

"Our pleasure, Namikaze-sama."

000

It wasn't long before they brought out all the supplies they kept in the back specifically made to be sold to the Namikaze. Not cheap knockoffs or shoddy ninja shuriken or kunai, it was high quality weaponry made straight from the forge of Kaito Shimizu. They laid out a few of the many pieces of equipment Naruto had requested allowing him to look them over, and he was impressed with what he saw.

With the throwing knives, they were finely sharpened to the point that it seemed as if they could be thin as paper and still pierce through steel without breaking. Each was finely engraved with the Namikaze emblem and with its own design of waves or wind that made up the small hilt.

'"The advantage of throwing knives over standard ninja weapons is that they are lighter than even a shuriken and, from the right forger and in the hands of a skilled assassin, can be shot off faster and do more damage than any jutsu." That's what you said, isn't it father? Well, these were made by a good smith..only time will tell if they are in the hands of a skilled assassin.'

"Are they good enough for your standards, Namikaze-sama? If not I'm sure I can find something else use-" Kaito seemed concerned that Naruto was not satisfied but was soon put to ease by the boy.

"That isn't it at all, I was just admiring the fine craftsmanship. Your family is full of surprises." Kaito smiled and bowed again in thanks, it was rare he had been complimented by a Namikaze before now.

Naruto began to fit then onto his leather chest armor where they hooked in on either side of his ribs. When he had ten in all, he moved onto the next piece that Ai brought out. They were a few randomly assorted vials where some were of a pinkish red hue that felt warm to the touch while others were a dark black like ink.

"What are these?" Naruto asked as he picked up one of the red glasses, examining it as he put it up to the light.

"You see my daughter-"

"Father!" Ai glared at him before looking at Naruto with an embarrassed blush. "Sorry Naruto-sama, my father seems to forget that I can speak for myself. You see, those are a variety of potions I have created in my time after reading some old alchemy books my grandmother had. They can heal numerous wounds or poisons that you might encounter, although I think they have a vile taste." Naruto looked at them with a new eye, they would indeed be helpful should he run into a wound he could not walk off.

"How does it work?" Ai gulped and began to feel more confident as he seemed interested.

"With certain natural ingredients, they can act as stimulants for your body to increase production of cells, particularly red blood cells. That leads them to move to the wound quicker and then solidify into a scab before the skin's natural healing process is also sped up. I'm not sure of the specifics, but I have made sure to test it with cuts and such before I continued to make them." Naruto looked at the girl in surprise, she was very dedicated to do such a personal test just to make sure they would work.

"Thank you, I'm sure I'll run into plenty of situations where I will find them particularly useful." Naruto set it down and then picked up one of the dark vials. "Now, I'm guessing this isn't a healing elixir?"

Ai shook her head. "No, it isn't. That is a poison I created that you can lace with any of your weapons and it comes in two types. One allows for a paralysis of their bodies as soon as it enters their system, which can be just from a small cut or incision. The other is much more lethal and will, after entering the target's bloodstream, begin to shut down their internal organs starting with the heart." Naruto felt in danger just holding the vial; that was good, it meant that it would make for a great weapon.

"The actual liquid has an adhesive property to it that allows it to cling to any weapon you put it on so that it won't drip off or lose potency. It can also last for over 24 hours after being applied so you can apply it before a mission the previous day. If you ever need to change the type of poison all you have to do is dab a bit of water onto a cloth and it will come off the steel easily as if you were picking up dust." Naruto was impressed, the girl had a variety of useful skills for such a young age.

"You would make a fine medical ninja if you wanted to, Ai-san. Not only can you heal a person but you are still deadly with such a potent poison attack." Ai had never given thought of being a ninja and was glad to know her skills were that impressive.

"I see you already have your longsword Namikaze-sama, so we will move onto the grand finale. I have been working on them since your father requested it over a decade ago, and I finally finished the engravings just a few years ago. I have kept them within a scroll for safekeeping since.." Kaito went into the room behind the counter, parting the cloth to enter to rummage through more storage.

"Ah, here it is." He returned for a very intricate scroll with a silver cover protecting its fragile holdings.

Opening it up, Naruto saw multiple seals that were used to protect it from the incorrect person from opening it. From his father's books Naruto recognized the blood seal of not only Namikaze but Shimizu as well, a time-lock seal, and even a heat sensor in case someone tried to crack the others with a certain type of method other than with DNA.

"Naruto-sama, if you would." Kaito and Naruto cut their thumbs to draw blood and placed them over the corresponding seals and were satisfied by a small hint of light and heat beneath their fingers before the scroll fully unrolled to reveal a pair of weapons.

No, not weapons; they were works of art.

"These are.." Naruto picked both up and gripped them from their hilts, holding them in a standard reverse grip his father had taught him with such agile weapons. "Tanto blades..except they seem to be slightly longer than the standard. They also have a bit of a curve to them along the length of the blade.."

"Yes, they are specifically designed for combat against ninja and other unarmored opponents. The curve will give you an advantage at cutting your opponent and the extra length gives you a little breathing space from you opponent each time you go for an attack. Not many assassins carried these blades though because they felt it would be unnecessary to use with their own natural speed coupled with a hidden blade, figuring it was unnecessary baggage." Naruto placed the two weapons into the leather sheathe on his back with either hilt ready to grab from behind his shoulders.

"Yes, well we see where that led them. They are beautiful weapons Kaito-san, and I will take pride each time I use and care for them." The man nodded, he had treasured them as he created them and was glad they would be put to good use and in good care.

"I believe that is all Namikaze-sama, you will be ready for anything that can be thrown your way tomorrow." Naruto nodded and started to look around for an exit since he didn't like the idea of going out the window again.

"Is there a better exit than the window I entered from in the warehouse? I'd prefer to have one in a bit more convenient spot." Kaito smiled and walked over to an unassuming wall where he crouched down and made the ram hand sign.

"Release." The stone disappeared like a mirage to reveal a small crawlspace that led back out to the alley where the window was adjacent to.

"This is your quickest way out from this room Namikaze-sama, it was made long ago after assassins began making regular trips to see us." Naruto knelt down and looked himself and agreed it would make for a good exit.

"Sounds good.." Naruto reached beneath his robes and grabbed a small sack of ryo, even though they served the Namikaze they had to get paid for their services. "Here is your payment for the wonderful supplies you have given me, I promise to visit as often as I can and keep you up to date on my progress." Kaito graciously accepted the money with a bow and waved off to Naruto as Ai walked over to them.

"It was a pleasure having you here Namikaze-sama." They bowed as Naruto began to leave.

"Good luck on your test Naruto-sama!" Naruto turned his head from the crawlspace and waved with his left hand, revealing something that surprised Ai.

When Naruto was gone, Kaito let out a sigh of relief that the exchange had gone over well and sat down on one of the cushions. Ai sat down as well but had a blank look on her face as she tried to figure out what she saw.

"Father..I saw something on Naruto-sama's left hand. It was on his-"

"Ring finger? Yes, all Namikaze assassins have the same thing, it shows their allegiance and proves they are who they say they are to informants and such." Ai remembered what she saw, it was the Namikaze emblem that was on his ring finger, like an ink tattoo.

"A unique tattoo that only Namikaze assassins know how to apply to one another, I'm sure its a simple seal jutsu of some sort, but its one of their many hidden clan secrets. They are applied to every assassin that is employed under the Namikaze banner, whether they be blood or not. Although I'm not sure if there is something that represents a pureblood from someone recruited or married into the clan." Ai didn't know what to think of it at that point, she just hoped that Naruto would fulfill his promise of returning to see them.

She was already starting to enjoy his company she thought with a blush.

000

Next Day

Konohagakure

Team 7 Training Grounds

After eating a light breakfast and doing his morning stretches, Naruto made his way for the training ground that his team was to assemble at. It wasn't that he forgot his sensei's instructions, its just he chose to ignore them in favor of common sense. Shinobi were known for deception and he had no reason to trust the man, besides, he doubted that there was something that could unsettle his stomach at the training grounds.

His father covered that much in training and it was a disgrace to think otherwise.

It wasn't long before Sakura and Sasuke arrived, the former looked worse for wear as she constantly yawned and barely opened her eyes at all for the time they were there alone. Sasuke looked about the same as always, well rested and ready for anything, similar to Naruto in a sense. Both shared a simple nod in acknowledgment but Sakura was too tired to do anything but wave upon first arriving.

It wasn't long before Kakashi arrived, at least after they waited for the first hour and the sun had easily risen up in the sky. He looked them over for a bit and noticed that while the other two had packed their bags full of what was sure to be useless survival junk, Naruto had instead chosen to go a more..armed route. It wasn't difficult to see the glint of well-crafted steel from Naruto's back and chest and it wasn't long before the other two took into notice as well. Sakura looked on at him amazed that he was carrying so much weaponry, but also wondered if he knew how to use half of it.

'I have to remember..he is an assassin. I did some studying last night and it seems like he is the last one Konoha has..a trained killer in all arts of not only shinobi but stealth as well. Even if he is the same age as Sasuke-kun and I, I don't even think he could match up to Naruto.'

Sasuke was impressed but found that showing such an emotion wouldn't help his own cause much. He merely waited for Kakashi to get on with the exercise and did his best to ignore Naruto.

"Well, glad to see you all prepared for this exercise. Now then shall we jump straight into the exercise? Oh yeah..pardon my tardiness but I got lost on the path of life, you know how it is." Sakura thought he should be thanking kami herself that she was still a bit tired otherwise she would have reprimanded him for being late.

Kakashi walked over to one of the three stumps and placed a clock from his bag on top of it. He hit the top to start the clock and pointed at the clock hands as they began to move as to explain the reasoning.

"It's set for noon, you have until then to get one of these bells." Kakashi reached into his pocket to reveal two bells tied to red string which he soon tied to his waist. "Whoever gets a bell will pass and those who don't will fail and be sent back to the academy. Any questions?" He said with a mocking smile as the three thought over what he said.

"But sensei..there are only two bells.." Sakura thought it over and realized that it was setup for a free-for-all, they couldn't all pass.

Sasuke eyed the two on his right with suspicion, he would get one for sure. The Namikaze might not care much since he didn't go to the academy to begin with, but he still seemed capable of getting one. If that was the case, it would come down to him and Sakura; he smirked, that equation worked itself out.

'I'm guaranteed to pass this, too bad for Sakura. Oh well, at least I'll get away from her by making her fail.'

"That's right Sakura, only two will become full-fledged genin, the other will be sent back to retake the course." Sakura sweatdropped as she looked at the two on her left and right, there was no way she could equal either in strength or agility.

Sakura looked left at Sasuke. 'I know Sasuke-kun's abilities from the academy, top notch in all aspects. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, even genjutsu were all high marks..that's not even including ninja tools..' Then she looked right at Naruto. 'And I don't even want to guess what his strengths are, he is an assassin for crying out loud. One of the guys that are fairy tale monsters that kill you in your sleep. For all I know he could be stronger than Kakashi-sensei..'

She looked back and forth before sighing and looked at the ground in defeat, even her inner self had no comment. Kakashi saw the silent exchange and realized the girl was doubting herself, a lethal thing for a shinobi, but it was something she would have to work past herself.

"You may use any weapon including shuriken and kunai. If you don't come at me with the intent to kill, then you won't get a bell." Sakura was surprised, how could he think they would have any chance or inclination to want to kill him over a bell.

"Sensei, those weapons are dangerous! Someone could seriously get hurt." Kakashi looked at her and gave her a smile while his words were meant to sting.

"Don't worry Sakura, I could have my eyes shut and not get hit by your attacks. I'll be fine, and I promise I won't use them against you, better now?" That remark made Sasuke pissed and he glared at the cocky Jonin, who did he think he was?

Sakura deflated, it seemed that she had even less chance of success now. Her skills in ninja tools were average at best and she wasn't physically adept enough to use them as close-range weapons, making her have even less capability of facing him in combat. She looked at Naruto to see his reaction to the teacher's insult, already knowing Sasuke's, but was shocked when she saw a smile underneath the hood.

He was..excited?

"You can start when I say start, understand?" He laid it out clear and simple for them by speaking slowly acting as if they were children.

Kakashi looked between all three of them and then shrugged.

"Start." Sasuke and Sakura immediately leaped away from him and found hiding spots in the trees or bushes, turning their eyes back to see Naruto remaining in the same spot.

'What's Naruto doing? Shouldn't he be hiding right now?'

'I wonder what your plan is? Its probably good if you think you can take Kakashi in the open..'

Kakashi eyed him oddly, as if he was confused why Naruto of all people wouldn't disperse.

"Didn't you hear me? The exercise has started." Naruto just kept smiling as he stood there watching him; Kakashi felt an odd feeling in his gut but shrugged it off with his usual attitude before getting out his book to read.

"For an assassin, you must not like stealth much right? Or maybe you aren't so good at it.." Naruto recognized the jibes and just ignored them, he hadn't hid on purpose.

"Since I'm not trying to kill you, what's the point in hiding? You'll still probably figure out where I am anyway unless I really try to hide, then you'd never find me. So better I stay right here, where I can clearly see you and those bells." Kakashi looked up from his book and realized that Naruto wasn't hiding on purpose, and that meant he had a plan.

"So what are you going to do? Stare me down until I give you a bell?" Naruto shrugged and Kakashi sighed, he figured Naruto would lose interest and had back into the forest if he just read his book.

Which is what he did and that led to his first mistake; taking Naruto out of his sight.

With a flick of his wrist, Naruto quickly and silently took out a single knife and threw it straight at the man's head. Since he had let his guard down, Kakashi didn't notice it until it was well into a kill zone. If it was a kunai, he might have been able to dodge it in time but with its increased speed Kakashi could only react to its impact with a surprised result. The other two were shocked to see their sensei's reaction and Naruto's sheer ability, they couldn't even see the knife even before he threw it.

It was only after the knife had sunk its teeth right through Icha Icha: Makeout Paradise did all three turn their attention straight to the assassin. Naruto smirked as Kakashi shakily eyed his book as it was, in shambles with at least half the book impaled clean through with the knife making it clearly unreadable.

A total loss.

Kakashi dropped the book and looked at Naruto with a certain edge to his eyes, anger and frustration he hadn't expected to receive from a student, even an unruly one. But this wasn't just his student, it was Naruto Namikaze, an assassin trained by the best one to ever live within Konoha. Sasuke and Sakura could only look at Naruto in an even higher light now, his skills were beyond what they could imagine even with such a simple display.

'Amazing..Naruto you're so..amazing.' Sakura was wowed by his technique, she hadn't categorized any other boy's skills with the word since Sasuke, but she couldn't lie over something like that.

'Well well Naruto..impressive indeed. Just what I'd expect from the lone wolf of the clan, just like me.' Sasuke smirked as he watched their teacher's expression, realizing Naruto wouldn't be a bad partner after all.

Naruto snickered at the man's reaction as he got into a hunched stance with his leather arm guard up in defense and ready to launch his blade quickly in case of attack. Now it was his turn to mock the teacher as he had the upper hand.

"Are you just going to stare me down until noon? I think play time is over..try to impress me, this time without any..distractions."

000

And I got that chapter done, finally. Sorry it took so long since even though I have the outline of the story done, I also really want to flesh out and have entertaining branches that I can go off into a tangent as a short side quest arc or chapter. For example the Namikaze shop I had planned since the beginning but I didn't have Ai or Kaito made, they seem like they could make for interesting characters in the future.

Also, Naruto is already showing off his skills. Nothing too strong but definitely a bit flashy, he's trying to show he isn't playing games and he wants a bell. How will Naruto do against Kakashi and how will the exercise end when Naruto has nothing to lose while Sakura and Sasuke have everything at stake?

Find out next chapter!

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See ya!