"This is regular speech."
'This is someone's thoughts, or telepathic communication.'
"This is a flashback."
This is a Tailed Beast speaking to their host. Mostly going to be the Kyuubi.
"This is a Summon, Demonic Entity, or a Tailed Beast outside it's Jinchūriki in some way."
Deep blue eyes awakened to a sterile-white ceiling. He had been here before, but it was a serious enough visit to lock the memory firmly in place. Konoha General. Naruto sat up, albeit slowly. IV's, heart monitors, and other different paraphernalia hung off the side of the bed. Some were plugged directly into his skin. A young nurse, who had dark green hair down to her shoulders and glasses precariously sitting on the tip of her nose, was arranging a vase of flowers on a nearby table with seemingly little luck.
"Where's Jiji?"
The woman jumped, knocking the vase to the floor, "Oh! Uzumaki-san, you're awake! That's great, just give me a moment, okay? I'll bring the Hokage here as fast as I can."
Without another word, she disappeared into thin air. Naruto did not have long to process this, however, for as quick as she had left, she returned just as fast with the Hokage standing next to her. It took all Naruto had not to jump up out of bed and hug the man.
"Naruto-kun. You're awake." A warm smile was on the man's face.
"Jiji, we need to talk. About... What's inside me."
The pipe fell out of Sarutobi's mouth. The medic-nin by his side almost fainted. Had the ANBU stuck to the ceiling not been as seasoned as he was, his grip surely would have loosened.
"Ah, Hitomi-san, if you'd give us the room please."
The medic-nin frantically nodded, stumbling out of the door way while almost dropping her Hokage made a discreet hand signal, and the silver-haired ANBU protector begrudgingly body-flickered away.
"Okay, Naruto. First things first. How much did It tell you?"
Naruto's features scrunched up.
"Well, first of all Jiji, she's a lady, not an It! And her name is Kurama."
\Years later/
"The look on Jiji's face still gets me every time."
Agreed, Kit. I haven't laughed that hard in years.
"So, in terms-"
Poof
A man with his wrists bound exploded out of the scroll on Naruto's back.
"Oi, just where the hell do you think you're going?"
The disheveled looking man screamed in terror as he looked up into the eye-slits of the ANBU's mask, "P-Please, i'll do anything! Just don't bring me back there! To that... That THING!"
The young boy put his hands on his hips, "Well that's just rude. Anko-chan isn't a thing, she's a person!"
The boy leaned down, grabbing the man by the collar of his shirt, "She's a person that's gonna rip out every single one of your teeth with her bare hands."
Before the man could scream, Naruto slammed the large seal into his face, simultaneously knocking the man unconscious and returning him to the work of Fuinjutsu.
"Now, as I was saying... Aren't we getting a little close to Ame? I really wouldn't want to-"
A single piece of paper flew in front of his face, slowly riding the current of the wind.
"-be... Exposed... Now what do you make of that?"
I'd say you better hope I instilled some charm into that thick skull of your's.
"What is your business here, ANBU?"
Naruto looked over his shoulder at a woman with electric-blue hair. Piercings in certain areas of her face seemed to almost darken what would normally be an innocent looking visage. A black cloak with red clouds concealed the rest of her features.
"The business of leaving."
The woman held up a hand, which happened to be splitting apart into small pieces of paper. The same paper that now surrounded the boy, "Explain yourself. The last group of Konoha ANBU that came here left quite the sour taste in my mouth."
Naruto's eyes narrowed under the mask.
Danzō.
"I see. Well I can say with confidence that those Ninja did not belong to Konoha. Merely abusers of power that disgrace the ANBU name."
The woman's cloud of paper did not disperse, and neither did the hostility on her face, "And how would I know you're not an imposter as well?"
Naruto couldn't help but chuckle lightly. The frown on the woman's face deepened.
"Konoha-nin find the most curious things humorous."
"You must be the Paper Angel Pervy Sage was telling me about. What a coincidence i'd run into a fellow student."
Konan's eyes widened, and the paper in the air seemed to freeze.
"You... You're a student of Jiraiya?"
\Just days before the Anime/Manga would begin/
"That boy needed to graduate first, Hiruzen. And you know that."
A cloud of tobacco smoke concealed the Hokage's grin, "Ah, Danzō, you wouldn't be jealous that I got to him first, would you?"
"The Daimyō will not approve, Hiruzen. And especially after Hatake, and Itachi... You know what you must do to prevent the worst."
The grin left his aged features, "Is that a threat, Shimura?"
"Hand him over to me, Hiruzen. I'll take care of the boy. Make sure the same mistakes aren't made again."
Sarutobi's grip on his pipe tightened, "You don't give a damn about the Daimyō. You just want another emotionless pet. Well, I refuse. That boy will have the life he deserves, Gods be damned!"
The elderly Hokage seemed to age a decade in front of Danzo. Then, the Third used an unrecognizable hand signal. The ANBU in the room disappeared.
Panic rose up in Danzo's throat, "What are you planning, Saru?"
Hiruzen stood from his seat, never dropping eye contact with his old friend.
"I'm simply tending to my garden. Tearing up the dead roots."
"I have to go back to the Academy? What the fuck, Jiji?"
Hiruzen held a hand up, "Naruto, I know this may seem... counterintuitive... But there-"
"Counterintuitive? Hiruzen, I've been in the ANBU for over half my life. Which, if you recall, means that i've been killing people longer than some of the kids in that damn place have been training to even become Shinobi. It's more than counterintuitive, it's downright futile."
Hiruzen sighed, letting a rather heavy cloud release from his lungs, "It was not long ago that I couldn't speak to you about the important things. I miss those days."
Naruto wasn't sure how to reply to that.
"I've made many mistakes in my life, even as the Hokage. Many I regret, but... There are some that I don't. Putting you in the ANBU has been one of those that fall in the middle. So i'm taking action before it's too late. Per tradition, Konoha's ANBU must graduate from the Ninja Academy to achieve status as an operative."
Naruto could sense the "But," before it came.
"But, for you Naruto, i'm changing that tradition."
Hiruzen took another deep hit off his aged tobacco pipe, "I know how much this means to you, my boy. Serving your village in the ANBU Corps. So I won't forcefully take that away from you. Instead... From this moment on, all current and future ANBU must acquire the rank of Chūnin before being admitted."
"So... I have to graduate from the Academy, and then get Chūnin?"
Hiruzen nodded at his surrogate grandson, "Correct, Naruto. I have already taken away your youth by allowing you in the ANBU to begin with. I'd... Like for you to at least enjoy it for a moment. Even if only a brief one. Can you do that for me, Naruto?"
Naruto's head slumped. After a few moments, he appeared at the Hokage's side and practically tackled him in a hug. Hiruzen chuckled at the uncharacteristic display.
Maybe this old dog hadn't done too much damage.
A disheveled looking Sakura Haruno bursted through the doors to the academy, barely making it to class on time. Iruka looked at the girl with wide eyes, not used to seeing her tardy.
"Ah, Sakura, glad you could make it. Everything okay?"
The girl nodded enthusiastically, sprinting up the stairs to her usual seat by the window on the third row, "Sorry Iruka-sensei! I just got caught up in training!"
She didn't notice the boy sitting in her seat until she reached the entrance of her row. Ino was giving her a look that she couldn't quite place.
"Oh, is this your seat? I'm sorry, Ino-chan said you wouldn't mind taking the middle seat. But I can happily move if you'd like."
Sakura was still catching her breath as she waved the boy off, "Don't worry about it. Freakin' blondes…"
As the girl moved to sit in the middle seat, she felt a small tug of chakra before suddenly being placed in the window seat. The mysterious boy was sitting in the middle seat with a grin on his face.
"Like I said, Sakura-chan, don't worry about it. My name's Naruto. Ino-chan already told me about you."
Sakura deadpanned. Ino's shit-eating grin pierced into her soul.
"... Well thank you, Naruto-san. And hey, not meaning to be rude here, but... Just where in the hell did you come from?"
Most of the students had tuned in now, just as curious as Sakura. Naruto chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head as he noticed the attention, "Aha, well, basically, i've been a clan kid my whole life. It was nice and cozy, but my parents didn't want me to become a Shinobi, oddly enough. I finally got through to them, so here I am! Luckily the Hokage knows us, and pulled some strings so that I can graduate next week instead of going through an entire year for the next graduation."
All of the students listening in had wide eyes at the boy's explanation. An Inuzuka heir was the first to speak up, "So you're telling me you're graduating in a week without any prior ninja training?"
Naruto chuckled, shaking his head, "Ah, I never said that Inuzuka-san. I just said that my clan training was the only training I had received. Don't underestimate me. You'll regret it."
"Oi. What's your name?"
A boy that he immediately recognized as the Last Uchiha held his gaze with his hands in the pockets of his khaki shorts.
"Uzumaki Naruto. And you must be Uchiha Sasuke. Nice to finally meet you."
Sasuke was taken aback for a moment, before quickly recovering, "I've never heard of the Uzumaki clan. Must not be a very powerful one."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Er, well, if you haven't heard the stories about Uzushiogakure, I don't really know what else to tell you except that you should stop living under a rock."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but he must have realized that the classroom might not be the best time to start a fight. The raven-haired boy turned around and sat down at the desk in front of Naruto, resting his chin on his hands and peering out the window.
"Awe, don't worry about him Naruto. He's just a stuck-up clan kid. He gives everybody the cold shoulder, even his 'Fan-Club.' I'm just glad Ino and I had the common sense to ditch him a few years ago."
Ino had a bright grin on her face as she nodded, "Cha! Some boy won't get between us!"
Naruto chuckled lightly while nodding, "That's good, focusing on the bonds we have with our precious people will always be the most important aspect of life."
The rest of the week was uneventful. Lectures going over basic rundowns of the things they'd been taught from the first day at the academy. Finally, team placements came. Sakura, Ino, and Naruto all listened with rapt attention.
"Team Seven will consist of,"
Team Seven. The team his father had been on, and Kakashi after that.
"Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno."
Naruto cocked his head slightly. Naturally he'd be put with the Uchiha.
"Alright! Ya hear that Naruto? We're on a team!"
Naruto nodded, a smile on his face. At least with this girl, who was the top female student, he'd have a stellar combination of brains and brawn.
Ino looked downcast, "Booooo! Can't this Ino-Shika-Cho thing ever stop!? I just wanted another girl on my team!"
Sakura hugged her childhood friend, "Awe, don't worry about it too much. I'll still come over all the time, andimean if something works why change it y'know?"
Ino hugged the girl back tenfold, "You better, Billboard Brow! I'm going to die of testosterone overdose otherwise!"
Naruto chuckled. Maybe this whole Chūnin thing wouldn't be so bad.
"Your Jōnin squad leader will be Hatake Kakashi."
The silver fox himself then entered the classroom and addressed the class, "Hm, well, my first impression of you all is less than stellar. Meet me on the roof in five."
Wait, Inu wasn't late for something? In fact, he was early? Most other squad leaders wouldn't show up until later, after all teams were assigned.
"Who the hell are you and what did you do to Kakashi?"
The sudden outburst caused all eyes to fall on Naruto. The aforementioned man chuckled out loud and replied, "Get used to it, Naruto. Iruka, if there's nothing else?"
The young teacher smiled, "No, you can gather your team Kakashi-san."
The man's lone eye had a certain brightness to it, "Alright. Roof. In five. Don't keep me waiting~"
"You heard him, you three. It was a pleasure being your teacher. Please, stop by any time if you're ever wanting to check up on your old sensei."
Sakura had tears in her eyes. The Uchiha had a smile playing on the edges of his mouth. Naruto nodded at the man. Iruka had a heart of gold, and he reflected that in his teaching.
A pair of milky, pupil-less eyes followed the back of Naruto's head as he got up and left the classroom. Her mind was everywhere except what team she was going to be placed on. She had seen those whiskers before, quite a few years ago.
Was this the same boy she thought was going to die?
That bastard.
On the roof, Kakashi leaned against the metal railing with his nose in a small orange book. Naruto rolled his eyes.
Some things never change.
"Alright, kiddies, take a seat. Let's introduce ourselves, shall we? How about we start with the young lady on the team."
Sakura looked at Naruto, then Sasuke, then back to Kakashi, "Er... Shouldn't you go first, Kakashi-sensei? We already kinda know each other."
Kakashi snapped his book closed. His eye seemed to bend upwards slightly, like a smile. It was creepy the first time Naruto saw it, and it was creepy now.
"Ah, I suppose you're right. I'll demonstrate. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I like some things, and I dislike other things. My hobbies are... Well, we don't need to get into that. And my dream is to train the three of you well enough that you'll be out of my hair in a year. Now, Pinky, your turn."
Naruto rolled his eyes, a smirk creeping onto his face. Sakura was not so pleased.
"Bwa!? What the hell kind of introduction was that!? All we got was your name!"
Kakashi cupped his chin in mock contemplation, "Hm, what was that? Did you three hear that? I think it was the sound of three cute little genin running a hundred laps around the Wall. I'm not sure, though... Must have been my imagination. Now, as you were saying, Sakura?"
Naruto did his best to hide his snickering, which caused Sakura to punch him in the shoulder.
"Tch, fine. Be that way. My name's Sakura Haruno. I like Sunakagure Spicy Curry, training with Ino, and studying Shinobi art. I dislike sweet things, and stuck up clan kids," The pinkette stuck her tongue out at Sasuke, who seemed to ignore the jab.
"My dream is to be the Hokage one day. I'll be the first Female Hokage, and the best one there ever was at that!"
This civilian girl had her eyes on the Hat? Naruto's interest continued to grow.
"A very ambitious goal. Hopefully I can get you there. Now, short, blonde, and ugly."
Naruto chuckled, flipping off Kakashi and sticking his tongue out, "The name's Uzumaki Naruto, and don't forget it. I like taking care of my many plants, cooking, training, and killing people."
Both of his new teammates did a double take at his proclamation.
"That was a joke, by the way. I only enjoy it when i'm on a mission, and-"
"Naruto."
Naruto coughed, "Aha, right, sorry. I don't like... Well, I guess you could say I don't like stuck up clan kids either. Also don't care for processed food. Just goes straight to your thighs, y'know?"
Kakashi rested his face in his hand.
"My dream is to join the ANBU. If Sakura-chan's gonna be Hokage, I suppose i'll have to be in charge of her personal guard."
A blush came to the girl's face.
She's already taking a liking to you, Kit.
"How... Enlightening. Next, the Uchiha, before I change my mind on this whole team."
Sasuke's mood seemed to darken even further. His eyes lost their light. The Massacre had taken it's toll on the boy.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. What I like or dislike doesn't matter, and I don't have a dream. I have an ambition."
Sasuke raised his glare to meet Kakashi's eye, "One day I will kill a certain man for taking away everything from me. That is my purpose."
Naruto was glad Sakura seemed to be feeling the same way he was.
"Some existence that is. I'm surprised you haven't rotted away yet."
Sasuke shot up, flames behind his pitch-black eyes. They burned as dark as coal, fueling the hatred in the boy's heart for Itachi.
"If you've got something to say, Uzumaki, then say it."
Naruto couldn't wipe the look of disinterest off his face, "I just did, Uchiha."
Sasuke pulled one hand out of his shorts, pointing an accusatory index finger at Naruto's chest, "Someone like you could never possibly understand. You're just another obstacle in my way."
Naruto stood from his stone seat. Sakura's look of worry passed between her new teammates.
"What, you think I don't understand what it's like to lose everything, Uchiha? You think you're the only one to get his entire family slaughtered? Of course you do. You wouldn't have a stick bigger than a telephone pole up your ass otherwise."
Sasuke sucked his teeth in a derogatory way, "I'm sure you experienced so much loss, being pampered by your family in some private residence no one's ever even heard of. What a joke. I bet you don't even know the meaning of training. I bet I could beat you right here and now."
"That's enough, Sasuke. I think it's about time we end the facade, eh Naruto?"
Naruto had a frown on his face.
"No. Not yet. I've got nothing to prove to some stuck up, spoiled brat of a clan kid. He'll find out soon enough regardless."
Sakura shook her head. She never understood why boys always had to stroke their own egos. Before Sasuke could reply, Kakashi's digital watch beeped.
"Ah, good, we're ahead of schedule. Now that we've got introductions out of the way, we can move on to the important stuff."
Kakashi's aura seemed to darken, almost sucking the light from around him, "Congratulations, on none of you actually passing."
Sasuke was strapped against a wooden post by thick ninja wire. He stopped struggling after the first ten minutes as the harsh metal dug into the skin of his arms.
"We tried getting you to work with us, Sasuke. This isn't our fault."
The boy was well composed despite his current predicament, "Like I needed to work together with either of you."
Naruto dug into his bento box with gusto, speaking between bites, "So, what, did you already forget the part where he mopped the floor with you? Or maybe the part where Sakura-chan and I almost got the bells while you were up to your neck in the dirt."
Sakura had yet to touch her box. With arms crossed, she looked ready to clobber the Uchiha, "Or maybe the part where he's our Jonin sensei, and there's no way in hell you'd have a chance of getting a single bell yourself. Let alone putting a scratch on the guy."
Naruto pointed his chopsticks at Sasuke's chest, "Your pride will be your downfall, Uchiha. I've seen it before, and I'm going to see it again. Eventually it turns into arrogance. And then you end up getting yourself killed."
Sasuke's struggle against the ninja wire was refueled by his anger, "I have a right to be arrogant! I'm an Uchi-gurk!"
Naruto had shoved a dumpling into his mouth, "Just shove it, will ya? You're so wrong about that statement it isn't even funny. I think you're just hungry, so eat up. And hurry, before Kakashi gets back."
Sakura sat down on the ground with her legs crossed. She opened her own bento box and began to feed Sasuke as well, "Don't even try to say no, Sasuke. I know you're hungry."
"And what about you? Did you just ignore sensei's orders?" Sasuke asked between bites.
Naruto swiped a dumpling out of Sakura's box, "Well if you're an all-powerful Uchiha with the strength and speed of a hundred men, why would you feel the need to follow orders at all?"
Sasuke grumbled under his breath.
Naruto chuckled, "As I thought."
Kakashi popped a dumpling into his mouth through his mask, "See, Sasuke? We're all in this together. As a team."
Sakura smiled, "Yeah! See, even Kakash-"
A beat of silence passed.
"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"
Lightning impacted the ground nearby, and a rainstorm rapidly formed in the sky.
"You three think you can get away with disobeying my direct order?"
As fast as the thunderclouds had appeared, they were gone. Kakashi had an eye-smile on his face.
"You can! Congrats, you pass."
The three genin promptly rushed the man, aiming to take out his throat.
\A week before the Wave mission/
"Anko? You there?"
Naruto knocked on the open door to Anko Mitarashi's apartment, one hand hovering near his blade. After no response, the ex-ANBU operative brandished a tantō and very gently pushed the door open just wide enough to squeeze through. The inside looked relatively unchanged, however there were noticeable signs of a struggle. Fresh groceries were knocked from the kitchen table, and it looked like someone was thrown into the drywall. In a flash, Naruto kicked open the door to Anko's bedroom. Had he not been as highly trained as he was, the senbon needle that shot like a bullet from the darkness would have pierced his jugular.
"Naruto!? What the fuck!"
That… wasn't Anko. Naruto peeked his head back in the doorway, only to catch a flash of a fully nude Yugaō Uzuki and Anko Mitarashi scrambling to throw their clothes back on, before he swiftly slammed the now-impossible-to-close door shut.
"Have you ever heard of a doorbell, Uzumaki? Jesus fuck!"
"I knocked! Like six times! You left the front door open! What was I supposed to do!? I thought Orochimaru was here or something! I… What the hell would Hayate think about this, huh!?"
"I'm totally cool with it."
Naruto screamed like a little girl, as Hayate Gekkō's presence on the sofa was finally revealed.
Now that all gathered were fully clothed, and blushes were nowhere near gone, Naruto was finally able to bring up the topic of his visit. Anko and Naruto sat at the dining room table, and Yugao had joined Hayate on the sofa.
"She's a bright kid, and she would thrive under your tutelage. Your set of skills would-"
"Gaki, since when have I ever been a star role model? Did you hit your head training or something? I don't do kids, let alone training them. I just… With my reputation, Naruto? She'd be looked down upon forever, and… and… Who knows about the Snake! What if she becomes a target! And there's the issue-"
The woman was getting flustered, and Naruto didn't want her to hyperventilate.
"Anko!"
Anko snapped to the boy, eyes wide and beginning to water.
"Take a deep breath, okay? You are an amazing Kunoichi, Anko, and an even better person. I know that taking that girl under your wing will do nothing but good things, for the both of you. She needs someone to show her how to be the best version of herself she can be, and no offense to Kakashi but I don't think he's specialized enough for something like that. And you, Anko, need some way to heal from this… this suffocating blanket of terror that smothers you constantly. And maybe Sakura can do that for you."
Yugao had come over to Anko and lovingly wrapped her arms around the woman to comfort her, "He is right, my love… Maybe training this young girl will help you where I can't."
Anko sniffled, and Yugao wiped the lone tear from her lovers cheek.
"You have such a bright soul, Anko Mitarashi. Naruto's giving you a chance to show it to the world."
The two women looked deep into each other's eyes for a few moments. They giggled, and pressed their foreheads together. Naruto was touched. He'd never realized Anko had already become so close with someone, let alone one of his old squad-mates.
And yet, Hayate flipped through the pages of a book like nothing in the world mattered.
It was an escort mission to wave. Naruto had spent most of his mental capacity chatting with his new team. Now, on a long, empty stretch of road, the idle chatter had died down as the group fell into a comfortable silence. Naruto had time to contemplate. At least, for a brief moment.
The puddle, Kit.
Naruto sighed heavily. So much for that. The boy placed his hands nonchalantly in his pockets before whistling a light, three-tone signal that only Kakashi would recognize. Naruto heard the man grunt in acknowledgement.
"Oi, Sakura-chan, don't you think it's a lil weird that there's a puddle? In the middle of the dry season?"
The girl didn't have time to answer, as two similarly dressed men in rebreathers exploded out of the water, shooting a long segmented chain towards Kakashi and wrapping the man up. The chain tightened, digging into the Jōnin's arms and legs and drawing blood, before finally reducing the man to bloody chunks. Sakura's face went green, and she turned away to puke into the bushes. Sasuke's eyes were wide, but the boy looked ready to fight.
The Demon Brother's of Kirigakure. Naruto rolled his eyes.
"First one laid to rest!"
"Now for the real test!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow at the twins, "Did... Did you seriously just rhyme with each other? Like, un-ironically?"
"Hah, go ahead and doubt our ability!"
"You'll be the first to see the futility!"
Naruto couldn't help but laugh at that one, "Alright, yeah, you're not making it alive after that one."
Just as Sasuke began to move, Naruto was behind the man in all black in an instant. An arm, cloaked in electricity, slammed through the Kiri nin's chest like a knife through butter. Specks of blood hit Sasuke in the face.
"BROTHER! YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
The Naruto clone dispelled, leaving the gaping hole in Gōzu's chest to bleed freely.
"And now you both get to die in a ditch."
Meizu brought his hand up to the place where his lower jaw, rebreather, and windpipe had been at one point in time. The shock killed the man before he could collapse to the ground.
"Ah jeez, that was lame. They literally did it and it was lame, why did I think it would work?"
Sasuke held a hand over his face, keeping as much of the smell out of his nose as he could. The mixture of Sakura's stomach contents and fresh gore didn't mix well for the Uchiha.
"That... Was a little overkill, don't you think, Naruto?"
Kakashi had a bead of sweat falling down his face as he reappeared next to Tazuna.
"Yeah, butimean, I needed some stress relief. And I thought they killed you, ya know? Traumatizing experience."
Kakashi rolled his single eye, "Yes, because that totally wasn't your idea."
Kakashi grabbed Tazuna by the collar as the man slowly started to slink away, "Ah, where are you headed, Tazuna-san? Didn't you want to introduce us to your friends? It would be rude not to."
Tazuna let out a nervous chuckle. Kakashi didn't let him explain, however, as he pulled the Bridge Builder deeper into the woods away from his escort.
"Jesus, Naruto! You... You killed them so easily," Sakura had snot leaking from her nose, so Naruto had handed her a cloth and water bottle to clean herself up.
"They... They were-"
"Enemy Shinobi, Sakura. They wanted to kill us. To kill Tazuna. They went after Kakashi without a moment of hesitation."
Sakura coughed, clearing her throat as best she could. Waving a dismissive hand in the air, she threw the used cloth to the floor, "Yeah... Yeah, I got it. Just... Give me a sec."
Naruto nodded, leaving the girl to gather herself. He moved over to the bodies, tearing open Meizu's pockets and pouches for anything useful.
"Oi, Uchiha, mind helping me out here?"
Despite looking a shade greener than usual, Sasuke nodded and started looting the other body. Aside from the usual shinobi supplies, Sasuke's main interest was the large metal claws the men wore, "Uzumaki, what do you think about these?"
Naruto had covered Meizu's face with cloth, concealing the gore, and now gently removed the metal apparatus off the man's corpse. Inspecting it, Naruto nodded, "Now that i'm getting a good look at these things... Taijutsu centered around a big, poisonous claw sounds kinda badass."
Sasuke found the release mechanism for the chain, and noticed it could easily be snapped back into place.
"These guys had something going here. It could be polished into something deadly,"
With that, Naruto nodded and stood.
"We probably shouldn't use them just yet. Hand that one here, i'll seal them until we can get back to Konoha and analyze the poison."
Naruto seemed to hesitate for a moment, "Would you... Want to learn how to use them with me, Uchiha?"
Sasuke smirked, "I wouldn't have asked about it otherwise."
"Hey! What am I supposed to get!? Or am I just chopped liver!?"
Sakura had her arms crossed, and her bottom lip pouted out uncharacteristically. Naruto had only seen the look of jealousy on the girl on special occasions.
Naruto chuckled, packing away the scroll in his hip pouch, "Don't you worry your pretty little forehead, Sakura-chan. I have just the gift for you when we get home."
Sakura felt a shiver down her spine.
'He called my forehead pretty…? And little?'
"Alright, Kiddos. Turns out we aren't up against your everyday run-of-the-mill bandits. These two were the appetizer."
Naruto lifted a bloody hand, "It won't be a big meal I guess?"
Sakura made a face, holding a hand to her stomach, "Can we stop with the food analogies, please? I don't have anything else to throw up."
"You... He's in ANBU, Hatake? This kid is in ANBU?"
Naruto stomped a boot into Zabuza Momochi's chin, slamming the man's face into the ground.
"Yes, I am. Well, kinda. Listen man, I don't wanna talk about it, alright? So, lets just-"
Before Naruto could continue, two large senbon embedded themselves deep in Zabuza's neck. The man's eyes widened, before they rolled back into his head. Naruto jumped back with his tantō in hand. A Tracker Ninja suddenly appeared above the man's corpse. The Kiri insignia was etched into their faceplate.
"Thank you for the assistance, Konoha-nin. I will take it from here."
Naruto did not lower his guard. Neither did Kakashi.
"I'm checking his pulse, first. We don't want an international incident, do we?"
The slim figure did not move. Their head cocked to the side. Whether it was in confusion or a challenge, Naruto did not know. Surprisingly, it was Sakura that spoke next.
"You're standing in the way of the wrong squad, lady," The young girl cracked her knuckles as she spoke, "Out of our way, before things get bad."
The tracker-nin cocked their head, either in amusement or confusion, "I'll be taking the body to confirm the kill, whether you're happy about it or not. Until next time."
Naruto launched a Kunai at the mysterious ninja, who bent down and placed a hand on Zabuza's shoulder before dissolving into mist. The blade passed harmlessly through it. The boy cursed.
"Great, so he's got a rogue Hunter-nin with him."
Kakashi nodded, "No doubt beginning to heal him as we speak."
Naruto noticed the man shifting his weight off one leg, "Maybe we should do the same, Inu."
Kakashi winced as he took an uneasy step, but nodded regardless, "Yes, maybe we should..."
"Naruto."
Sasuke had a conflicted look on his face.
"You were in ANBU?"
Naruto smirked at the boy over his shoulder, "Yeah, I was. Knew Itachi, too. C'mere, help me carry Kakashi-sensei. We can walk and talk."
Sasuke fought hard to control his heart-rate. Naruto actually knew Him. He could tell Sasuke about His exploits... His abilities. And His weaknesses.
Sakura forced herself to stretch, trying her hardest to release the tension and tightness from her muscles and joints. She was sore from head to toe. Naruto, Kakashi, and even Sasuke trained on an entirely different level than what she was used to. She felt the strain in every step, but she did not complain.
She wasn't going to be the weakest member of the team.
No one else was awake yet. She grabbed a couple ration bars and a jug of water before leaving Tazuna's home. Sakura was prepared to train her ass off the entire day, and that is exactly what she did. The other members of her team checked on her every now and then, making sure she wasn't overdoing it. Even when they voiced concern, Sakura tuned them out.
Suddenly, the wooden post in front of her splintered into pieces from a particularly devastating kick. Sakura looked at the now-stump, and then down at her own leg, and back.
"That was quite impressive, Shinobi-san."
Sakura jumped, turning her attention to a young woman at the edge of the clearing. The woman wore a light-pink Kimono with white trim, and couldn't have been older than her early-twenties.
"O-Oh, thank you, miss! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."
The woman waved a dismissive hand, "No no, please don't mind me. You're training, correct?"
Sakura nodded, unceremoniously flopping to the floor. She needed a rest, and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity.
"Might I ask what you're training for?"
Sakura sat up, confused. "What do you mean, miss?"
The young woman had knelt down to gather various herbs from the clearing. A warm smile was on her pale face.
"Well, you Shinobi always have a Code, yes? Some ultimate goal to work towards. Whether it's becoming strong, or maybe protecting your loved ones, or maybe just to protect one's village. May I ask your's, Shinobi-san?"
Sakura frowned. She'd tuned out of the lessons about this at school. Something about it never really tickled her fancy. Sure, she wanted to be the Hokage. But why? Just to show everyone a woman could do it? She obviously wanted to make her parents proud, but was that all?
"Er... Well, I guess I don't really know."
The woman's eyes widened.
"You don't have a dream? Or a goal to achieve?"
Sakura idly tore off a blade of grass and manipulated it in her hand, "Well, of course I want to get strong for those in my village that can't protect themselves. But beyond that..."
Sakura let the blade of grass fly away in the wind.
"I just want to be able to say I lived a good life. That the people around me were happy."
The woman silently went about her work, contemplating the young Kunoichi's words. Finally, she stood up straight and turned to leave, "It was nice meeting you, Shinobi-san. Until next time."
The resemblance clicked in Sakura's head. Just as she leaped up with a Kunai drawn, the mysterious Hunter-nin was gone.
"Did she realize who you were?"
Haku hung his head in shame, "Yes, Zabuza-sama."
The man sighed, rolling his neck. The resounding creaks and pops told Haku more than anything Zabuza could ever say, "Careless. Now they know i'll be healed sooner rather than later."
"Ah, Zabuza. It seems you took quite the beating. Some help the tracker is, eh?"
Gatō stood inside the doorframe with a haughty scowl on his face. His two lackey's backed him up from the hallway. Haku could tell from just a glance that these men weren't Shinobi.
"Gatō."
"Don't you dare fuckin' speak. Some Shinobi you are! I'm paying you to kill a simple old man, and you can't even do that."
Gatō spat on the ground, "If this famous Bridge Builder isn't dead by the end of the week, you can say goodbye to more than the cash."
Haku took a threatening step forward, making the man flinch away before his arrogance let him recover, "You have no right to speak to Zabuza-san in such a way. How dare you-"
Gatō actually winded back a hand, and attempted to backhand Haku across the face. He was so surprised at the audacity of the mogul that he almost didn't intercept the attack.
Yet, he did.
The bones in Gato's hand and wrist promptly shattered in Haku's iron grip. The short, fat man screamed in agony and fell back into the hallway.
"Hey, you lazy sonsabitches! Fuck are you standing around for!? Kill her! Now!"
The two men with swords on their hip charged Haku. He almost rolled his eyes. Before either could react, their own weapons were drawn and held against their throats. Haku almost lost his grip on the blades as a wave of Killing Intent that he hadn't felt in a very long time wafted over them.
Zabuza's form was shrouded in black chakra that was visible to the human eye. Large red eyes appeared in the chakra cloud, glaring into Haku's soul, "Ya know, Gatō... I really need the money for this job."
Zabuza Momochi stood up to his full height, towering over everyone in the room. His eyes were replaced with pools of blood.
"But I've been thinking lately. I might get just as much, if not more, for turning in the bounty on yourhead."
Gatō backed away against the wall as much as he could. Urine leaked down the leg of his suit. Sweat covered the man from head to toe, making his grey hair greasy and disheveled, "W-w-wait a minute, Zabuza... I'll give you double, n-no, triple! I'll give you triple for the job!"
Zabuza grabbed the hilt of his massive blade, the Kubikiribōchō, and lifted it into the air with ease. The edge sat right above Gatō's crotch.
"Ya know, Haku... I think it's been long enough."
The samurai's heads hit the floor before their bodies dropped. A very uncharacteristic grin worked its way onto Haku's face. He nodded at his master, "Yes, Zabuza-sama."
The chakra-enhanced metal sliced through Gato's pelvis like a hot knife through butter. Zabuza relished in the man's screams for as long as he could.