Chapter 4: Chapter 4: ANBU Directive 1
One of the largest buildings in Konoha was the Hokage's Residence (also known as the Hokage's Tower). It was located quite close to the Shinobi Academy and had been constructed just underneath the Hokage's monument. The Hokage's residence towered over most of the other buildings in Konoha and was home to many different departments. ANBU Headquarters lay directly beneath it, guarded carefully by the elusive masked Shinobi. There were libraries filled with countless scrolls. Records of previous missions, character profiles of friendly and enemy Shinobi and thousands upon thousands of technique scrolls could all be found inside. The Third Hokage was infamously known for single-handedly learning and mastering each and every single technique scroll that Konoha had to offer. The Hokage's Tower was also where A and S-ranked missions were handed out to elite teams of Jonin and ANBU. Prestigious clients were sometimes given the privilege of visiting but rarely saw much activity as all as elite-level Shinobi received their missions and left with speeds too quick for the untrained eye to see. Matters of village security were also dealt here, far away from the prying eyes of the normal Shinobi workforce.
It was also where the Third Hokage and his family lived. Since his fast-tracked promotion to Chunin and allocation as the Hokage's personal assistant and guard, Uzumaki Naruto had been one of the few people in Konoha's history to call the Hokage's Tower home.
Naruto suddenly opened his eyes. One moment he was asleep and the next he was awake and alert. The young ANBU rolled over and glanced at his alarm clock. 6:59 AM. He hopped out of bed, removing the froggy night-cap that he still loved so much and quickly pressing his thumb against the red spiralling tattoo on his exposed shoulder. He channelled chakra and his bedclothes abruptly vanished. A second pulse of chakra saw a set of armour appear neatly around his form. A pair of dulled metal arm-guards covered his forearms, extending over his gloved hands. His upper arms were bare and he wore a tight black shirt with a grey armoured vest covering his chest. His long dark pants reached his ankles, where he wore sandals, and there were three small pouches strapped around his waist with a bandage tied around his right leg. He hadn't put the mask on and it dangled from his utility belt.
"Oh yeah," Naruto said with a cocky grin, exposing his sharper than normal canines. "I look awesome."
After he was done checking himself out, he adjusted the mask on his belt and strode through the door. With a well-practised movement, he turned off the clock just as it flipped from 6:59 to 7:00 and the first tones of the alarm went off. It was time for him to perform one of the most dangerous aspects of his job- waking up the Third Hokage.
"Oi!" Naruto shouted loudly as he entered the master bedroom of the Hokage's residence. He felt an itching sensation around his ANBU tattoo as the complex barrier seals recognised his identity and allowed him to pass without reducing him to a pile of steaming ash. "It's time to wake up!"
The lump curled around the thick blankets in the middle of the king-sized poster bed quivered. Naruto rolled his eyes as he began stretching. He found it completely ridiculous that the rest of Konoha idolised Sarutobi as some kind of holier-than-thou figure of everlasting power and might. Only Naruto, he had decided firmly, knew the real truth. Sarutobi was a cranky, perverted old man who took way too much pleasure in abusing his poor loyal subordinates for his own amusement! Naruto, being in the position that he was, saw this the most- the discrete reading of that oh-so-temping orange book, the short giggles when the old man caught a glimpse of a beauty, the way the boss adjusted his hat to have his afternoon snooze in the busiest of places and the way that the old man slept in every morning for the past four and a half years!
"Do we really have to do this again?" Naruto pleaded. It was a familiar question as it was one he had to ask extremely often. He only received a grunt in response. He sighed. "Have it your own way, then?" He raised his hands and twisted then into a single hand-seal. Water Release: Waterfall Technique!
He heaved a breath and spat a mouthful of water, which sprayed through the air in an arc. Hands contorting in another hand seal, the mouthful of water became a giant torrent which swept through the room and washed over the poster bed. His technique completed, Naruto shifted his weight and leapt up towards the roof, using chakra to grab a foothold on the ceiling. A second later, a shower of kunai pelted the floor where he had been standing with incredible force, smashing apart floorboards and tearing into carpet.
"Good morning!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully as he dropped from the roof. "I will be serving breakfast in ten minutes if you'd like to get ready, boss."
Sarutobi emerged from the drenched wetlands that had once been his bed, his brown eyes bleary and his white hair wet with moisture. Apart from that, the Third Hokage was completely dry and Naruto absently wondered what technique the wily old man had used to escape his wake-up call this time.
"What's with this mess?" Sarutobi grumbled loudly. He cleared his throat. "Clean this up immediately!"
Naruto just smiled. "Already on it, sir!" he said cheerfully. He snapped his fingers and three shadow clones appeared in the room holding a mop, a bucket, a small roll of carpet and a couple of new floorboards. "We'll have this fixed soon, so if you'd like to make your way to the kitchen…"
"Little smartarse…" Sarutobi grumbled as he shuffled his way out of the room. None of the clones saw the little smile playing on his face.
"Right," the original Naruto said, folding his arms. "Routine Assignment #3E- clean up the old man's mess- begins! I'll go and make breakfast. You guys take care of this and then begin the morning training!"
He left as the first Shadow Clone made the ram sign and began to use water-based nature manipulation to suck out all of the moisture within the room and deposit in the bucket. The second was bending down and plucking the kunai out of the floor and the third was stripping the Hokage's bed. It was a well-practised routine and one they had done many times before- although the Third Hokage didn't always use kunai.
Breakfast time at the Sarutobi house was interesting and Naruto would always find himself running around trying to take care of five things at once. The Third Hokage would play with his breakfast, bowls of oats, plates of buttered toast, hot bacon and eggs and fresh fruit merely being toyed with. The Third's grandson, Konohamaru, would scoff down his food as soon as he got it, bits of it flying everywhere. Naruto would desperately try to get Konohamaru's lunch done in time while making the boy slow down and eat properly, and at the same time, forcing the Third Hokage to eat a least a plateful before grabbing a bite himself.
It hadn't always been this bad, Naruto reflected despondently. His hands were a blur as he wrapped up the last of Konohamaru's food and placed it in the bag. The Third had been quite good to him when he first arrived and he would usually join Konohamaru in his meals as the several staff did all the work. However, as Naruto grew into his responsibilities the old man got worse and worse, until each morning was like wrestling with a wild boar. Sometimes Naruto thought that the Hokage's was deliberately doing it to piss him off.
"You, eat!" Naruto barked, pointing one angry finger at the Hokage. The Third was dressed in his long white robes and his conical hat was pointed downwards, shielding his eyes. "If you snooze then you're not going to get anything!"
Sarutobi grunted and made a noise that might have been one of agreement and he lifted his hat. The old man yawned, absently toying with his bowl of porridge. Naruto glared at him until he caught movement at the corner of eye. He whirled around, blue eyes narrowing into slits. Konohamaru, with his arm cocked back and a plate of sauce-smeared bacon in his hand, froze with widened eyes.
"Sit!" Naruto snapped. He appeared behind the young brat in a lightning-fast body flicker and forced him back on his seat. "Eat properly like a human instead of a monkey!"
Naruto sighed as Konohamaru continued to shovel food in his mouth. He glanced at Sarutobi, who had again hid his eyes behind his hat and was snoring quite loudly, and he sighed.
"You're the Hokage of the most powerful Shinobi village in the world! Stop slacking off and eat your breakfast!" Naruto bellowed and Sarutobi jerked awake. The old man seemed to wilt underneath Naruto's dangerous look and began to quickly eat the food in front of him.
Something hit him in the back of the head and there was a giggle.
"Think that's funny, do you?" Naruto asked dangerously, spinning around to face the little boy.
Konohamaru's giggles turned into full blown laughter as Naruto buckled underneath a sudden heavy weight that slammed into his head. There was a crash as a bowl broke on his head and something warm and oozy dripped down into his hair. He glanced at the Hokage, whose eyes were closed and his arm still outstretched as he finished the last spoonful of his breakfast. "That's it!"
Sudden heavy and oppressive chakra filled the room. Konohamaru squeaked and Sarutobi's eyes opened a fraction as Naruto flipped through some hand-seals. "Naruto Release!" He shouted angrily. "Breakfast Shuriken Technique!"
Chakra flared and the kitchen became a whirlwind of food as Naruto spread his arms around and the food on the table leapt from their plates and span right into the faces of Konohamaru and Sarutobi. Bacon followed the toast which followed the eggs and fruit. The technique only lasted a few seconds and by the end both occupants of the table were covered in food.
"Right," Naruto breathed as the room fell silent. He pointed at the Third Hokage. "You will go and get washed up and ready for work! If you're not in your office at 9am sharp then I'm not doing any of your paperwork for the day!" Sarutobi jerked at that. "And you!" Naruto growled, spinning around to face Konohamaru. "You're coming with me to have another shower right now!"
"I don't want to!" Konohamaru said defiantly. He folded his arms and turned away.
"Listen here, brat!" Naruto growled and shoved his face directly in front of the young boys. "There are two ways we can do this- the hard way where I throw you into cold shower or the really hard way where I throw the cold shower at you!"
Konohamaru gulped.
Twenty minutes later, Naruto and Konohamaru were walking through the streets of Konoha towards the Academy. The blonde-haired ANBU had cleaned himself up and was wearing his porcelain mask over his face. Konohamaru was pouting as Naruto led him past the shops and villagers, many of whom waved or bowed at the young boy. Naruto didn't miss several of them giving him strange looks and merely scoffed. His mask was on purely for protocol at this point because it wasn't like his identity was a secret to that many people. After all, how many short blonde ANBU members were there?
Still, he supposed it was better than the looks he used to get.
"Right," Naruto said as the Academy loomed up ahead. "Make sure you be good today. No pranks! No mucking around! If I have to come and catch you, you'll be sorry!"
"Yeah, yeah," Konohamaru said with a jeer. He huffed. "As if you could find me!"
"Brat," Naruto said crossly but he ruffled the young boy's hair affectionately. "It's your Graduation Exam today, isn't it?"
"You remembered?" Konohamaru asked in surprise. He chuckled bitterly. "Of course you did. Gramps didn't."
Naruto made a small sound of comprehension. "I'm sure he knows," he said breezily.
"He didn't say anything at breakfast," Konohamaru muttered. He looked at the ground, kicking a small stone away. "He just sat there being stupid again."
"You didn't say anything either," Naruto admonished. He wagged his finger. "I swear, you two are both as bad as each other. You're definitely Sarutobi, you two."
Konohamaru looked up hopefully as Naruto glanced down, smiling kindly behind his mask. "There's no doubt about it," the ANBU said. "He's definitely thinking about you today."
Konohamaru beamed. "Thanks, Naruto," he said quietly. As soon as the two entered the gates of the Academy he bolted off to find his friends, leaving Naruto holding his lunch alone.
"Come back!" Naruto called out but the brown-haired boy had disappeared amongst the milling crowds of parents and students. He sighed. "You little shit…"
Naruto made his way through the Academy Grounds. The students he met had once given him wide eyed looks and muttered to each other quietly. Now he was a regular occurrence, the young ANBU agent tasked with escorting the Third's Grandson to school. They still gave him the odd look, especially when they noted how short and young he seemed, but in the true fashion of children they mostly ignored him now. The parents were mostly the same, although he exchanged a respectful nod with Nara Shikaku, the current Jonin Commander. The two had had dealings in the past. He also exchanged a quick 'hello' with Yamanaka Inoichi, the tall blonde-haired man who worked in Konoha's Intelligence Division.
"Ah, Iruka!" Naruto called out. He flickered out of the crowd and appeared in front of the scarred Chunin, who had been turning to see who had called out his name.
"Gah!" Iruka jumped as he came face to face with the creepy porcelain mask of an ANBU member. He held his hand over his heart. "Oh, it's you."
Naruto held up the bag. "This is Konohamaru's," he explained. "The little brat ran off before I could give it to him."
"I see," Iruka said. He took the bag. "Thank you."
His voice, as usual, was respectful and polite when he spoke to Shinobi many called Sarutobi's Right Hand. Iruka had just been assigned to the Academy when Uzumaki Naruto, with the assistance of the Third Hokage, had graduated early. He hadn't had much to do with the young boy for years until he had reappeared from seemingly out of nowhere as the Hokage's personal assistant and guard. The ferret-masked boy had quickly become a common sight at the Mission Assignment Office as he accompanied the Hokage and performed many duties. Personally, Iruka felt a little sorry for him. The Hokage could be quite hard on the young ANBU and Iruka wondered if Naruto managed to ever get much of a break.
"Will Konohamaru do well today?" Naruto asked and Iruka blinked, shaken out of his thoughts.
"It's hard to say," Iruka admitted. "He's certainly not the most academic-driven student we have." Naruto made a noise in the back of his throat at that and Iruka chuckled. "That said," the scarred Chunin continued, "His weapon skills and Taijutsu is quite good. It's why he was moved ahead past his age-group, he's already quite gifted in that area. Still, he's having some trouble with the Henge. We'll have to see how he goes today."
"I see," Naruto said. He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I better be off. Thanks for speaking with me."
"You're welcome," Iruka said. "Goodbye, Naruto-san."
The day proceeded like any other normal day. Naruto worked with the Third Hokage in the mission room, filling papers, organising meetings and taking down mission details. The Fire Daimyo's Wife had arrived in Konoha a few days earlier and had already lost her pet on four different times. Several of Konoha's largest merchants were interested in obtaining a new breed of spice that was found growing in the Land of Rice, although many of them were reluctant to pay the higher mission costs required, as relations with the Land of Rice had been strangely distant and hostile than before. A quartet of Shinobi from the Village Hidden in Grass arrived with a routine message for the Hokage and a dark-cloaked man wanted a team to perform a dangerous mission to retrieve his family heirloom and had been whisked away to the Hokage's Tower to debrief the elite Shinobi who would needed to complete a mission of that difficulty.
All in all, nothing unusual.
Later that afternoon, Naruto found himself leaping over the rooftops of Konoha delivering messages to various persons and businesses on behalf of the Mission Assignment Office and the Hokage. From what Naruto had gathered, most were receipts and a short message on the details of the successful mission needed to claim when applying for tax cuts. There was one curiously lumped parcel that had arrived from intentional Delivery that had passed inspection which was left at the reception desk of the Shinobi Academy. Naruto finished the last of his errands just as the sun was going down and made his way to the Training Grounds. Each day, he was officially given two hours to work on his physical training. Unofficially, however, Naruto trained all day long on the various different projects he was working on.
"Yo!" Naruto called out as he entered the large training fields. It was the field that Naruto had selfishly allocated for himself and it was perfect for his needs. It was a large clearing with a small river trickling through it. Surrounded by trees, the noises here would be muffled by the foliage and keep snooping visitors away.
"Hey!" One of his shadow clones returned the greeting.
There were whole groups of them there and each was working on a specific aspect of Naruto's training. Five groups of at least ten clones worked on each part of his elemental nature manipulation, using leaves and chakra paper to hone his ability to generate elemental chakra. His natural affinity was wind and it came to him as the easiest to form, however, the Hokage's natural affinity had been earth but that hadn't stopped him from whipping out advanced elemental techniques of each nature in the past. Lightning was his worst at the moment but his earth and water was coming along quite nicely and as long as he didn't care about collateral damage his fire worked beautifully.
Naruto would not be satisfied until he had mastered each and every single affinity just as the Third Hokage had done before him. It really got to him when he considered just how much further he needed to go - especially when the old man would make off-handed comments along the lines of 'you're still learning this, why, when I was your age I had already learned this as well as that. I guess you're just a slow learner.'
There was one group working on his chakra control and they were contorted into weird poses. One of was hand-standing on the water with one hand while using the other to swirl leaves around his palm. The other was hopping up and down a street while juggling spinning kunai. The last one was holding a spinning orb of chakra in his hand, a screeching noise emanating from the powerful technique that sent shivers down the real Naruto's back. That was probably the ultimate test in chakra control - the Rasengan The powerful technique worked by rotating multiple rows of dense chakra in different directions while keeping it contained in a stable sphere in one's hand. Naruto was working on the lethality of the technique, compressing his chakra even denser and trying to spin more and more of the chakra faster and in different directions.
Naruto spied the piles of disposable ramen containers lying on the ground and rolled his eyes. "What a waste," he muttered to himself. He cleaned up the clearing as best he could and began to work on his techniques.
The God of Shinobi was famous for his collaborative techniques. When an average Shinobi could perform a single technique in a few seconds, the Third Hokage was able to weave through multiple techniques, often stopping part-way through one to start another while keeping the different strands of elemental chakra separate from each other within his body and while using empowering his limbs and muscles with chakra. That was the level of proficiency in nature, shape and chakra manipulation and control that Naruto was working towards. Naruto was not at that level yet, although he had a somewhat-bastardised version that produced similar results. It involved working with clones, each who would focus on one specific technique, while Naruto would direct and combine them all together. That only worked because his clones used the same Chakra as he did and even though Naruto was a chakra juggernaut (The Third once said that Naruto had more chakra at his age then he had) even that left him quite fatigued in the end.
"Shadow Clone!" Naruto muttered and with a puff of smoke somebody appeared right next to him. His replica gave him a dry look.
"This is going to hurt," he lamented.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Get over it," he snapped.
The clone nodded and formed the ram sign. From there, Naruto watched as his clone went through a series of hand-seals, his fingers blazing in and out of the signs quicker than the eye could see. He knew what was happening even as the clone did it- form water elemental chakra, compress it, store it in the tenketsu of the upper back where mobility would not be limited, form water elemental chakra, compress and release it into a technique.
"Earth Release: Great Mudslide Technique!" Naruto's clone shouted. The earth before him rumbled and liquefied as Naruto's elemental chakra softened it while his nature manipulation used his chakra to force it forward in an avalanche of mud. Naruto's clone made another sign and the water elemental chakra flowed forward. "Water Release: Raging River Technique!"
The water technique, coming from the small stream trickling into the clearing, combined with the power of the earth technique and produced a devastating current of mud and water. It propelled out from the Shadow Clone and swept into the forest. Saplings and plants were torn from their roots as the mud swept across the great tree trunks. An ideal conclusion to this combination technique would be a fire technique that would turn the mud into a rolling river of blistering tar that would engulf and consume all that it touched.
However, Naruto was having enough trouble with two elemental chakra let alone three. Under the original's eye, the clone suddenly let out a gurgling noise. Bright points appeared all over the clone's body as tenketsu overloaded underneath the strain of the multiple strands of elemental chakra before it exploded in a puff of smoke. Naruto grimaced at the mildly unpleasant memory. Normally the shadow clone technique would not include pain in the memory for the safety of the user but Naruto had altered that part of the technique when he needed to so he could diagnose how and when a technique went wrong.
"Too much chakra," Naruto murmured to himself. "Elemental composition was fine but the tenketsu can't handle the strain… I need to disperse the chakra over multiple tenketsu." It was much, much harder than it sounded.
Naruto went to make another clone when the tattoo burned on his shoulder. He frowned. The Hokage usually allowed- or rather, insisted on- his training time. It was unusual for a summons this late. He snapped his fingers and his clones obediently dispelled. Naruto felt flashes of memories assault him but he shrugged them off with practised easer. Placing his mask over his face, he disappeared into a body flicker.
He reappeared by the Hokage's side. The old man was standing on the highest level of the Hokage Tower, watching the sun set over the Hokage's Monument. Usually Naruto could get a good read on the Third Hokage but it was with some trepidation that he found himself unable to assess how his leader was feeling. The stone faces on the monument looked as if they held more emotion than Sarutobi did right at that moment.
"Ferret," Sarutobi spoke softly and with the weight of a man who had spent his entire life giving orders and being obeyed. "The First Directive has been breached. I have need of you. Do you accept?"
"Yes," Naruto answered immediately even as his eyes widened with surprise. His white porcelain mask blocked everything as he stood. "How may I serve?"
Sarutobi turned around and Naruto saw the first traces of emotion- a grim hard look that masked something dark that lurked beneath the old man's face. Whatever had happened, it was personal.
"Several minutes ago I was 'assaulted' within this very tower," Sarutobi began. He ignored Naruto's splutter of shock. "The assailant successfully retrieved the Scroll of Forbidden Seals and escaped."
Shit.
"I have confirmed the identity of the attacker." Sarutobi sounded grim. He motioned to the table, where a gleaming sphere of crystal glimmered with chakra. "At this moment, Sarutobi Konohamaru has left the boundaries of the village in possession of the Forbidden Scroll of Seals."
Naruto jerked reflexively and drew a deep breath.
"Confirm identity?" He asked quickly.
"It's been confirmed," Sarutobi said tiredly and for a moment he looked very old and very tired. He moved from the window and took a seat at the table. "It was him, Naruto. What's more, he knew exactly where to find the Scroll and how to bypass the protections."
"With all due respect," Naruto asked carefully. "But how did he subdue you."
"I merely though it was one of his little tricks," Sarutobi admitted with a great sigh. "He threw some smoke bombs, yelled something foolish out. I allowed him to play his game but the smoke lasted longer than usual and by the time it had cleared he was gone- with the scroll."
He turned back to the window.
"This is a result of my foolishness," he said and his voice was hard again.
Naruto said nothing. Konohamaru was the grandson of the Third Hokage and his status allowed him a lot of leeway. However, not even the Hokage could protect him from the outcome of this. The Forbidden Scroll of Seals was an S-ranked secret and stealing it was paramount to High Treason. There would be severe repercussions for all involved: Konohamaru for stealing it and Sarutobi for allowing it to happen.
"However, it is more complicated than that," Sarutobi interrupted Naruto's thought process. "Konohamaru failed his Graduation Exam today. I have reason to suspect that somebody may be using his current emotional state for their own advantage."
"I see," Naruto murmured. His thoughts were conflicted and his emotions barely under control. He was too close to this at the moment so, with a deep breath, he pulled back and hardened his heart. "What are your orders, sir?"
"I have located the boy," Sarutobi straightened and the full force of his intent care baring down on Naruto.
It wasn't a desire to kill. Rather, it was the power of the highest priority order in Konoha and the effect it instilled in those with the Will of Fire.
"You will shadow him until the true culprit appears. Retrieve my Grandson at all costs and destroy the scroll if necessary." Sarutobi met Naruto's eyes from behind his mask. "Do to the culprit as you see fit. You have full operational control, however, the nature of the assignment have been deemed S-ranked and may not be divulged."
Even if Konohamaru had been deceived, he had still committed high treason. Naruto understood immediately. The less who knew- the better. He bowed his head and made his way to the table where a large map of Konoha had been unravelled. Sarutobi gave the coordinates to Konohamaru's position and Naruto stared intently at the map for a few moments. He then pressed his finger on his tattoo.
"Cat," he called out quietly. "Bird."
There was a moment's pause and then two ANBU members arrived with a small puff of smoke, heads immediately bowing as they saw their Hokage. They wore white cloaks over their armour and their porcelain masks bore the discrete signs of seniority. The ANBU Captains of Epsilon and Omega ANBU Combat Platoons stood rigid.
As the Hokage's assistant and the only member of the "Sigma" squad, the Hokage's Personal Guard, Naruto technically held seniority over them- in theory. His commands were most often the commands of the Third Hokage and had to be respected. However, it was very seldom that Naruto interacted with the Captains and only really saw them at the general purpose Division meeting every couple of months. In this situation though, Naruto had full operational control and commanded not only the Captain's but their 25-man platoons.
"Priority Directive #1. I have full operational control," Naruto said quietly. Two emotionless masks shifted and stared at him with greater intensity. "Cat. Your platoon will surround the perimeter of A-4-F to A-5-C. Entry denial." He paused and glanced at the map. "Move out immediately. Dismissed."
Cat disappeared and Boar waited patiently as Naruto studied the map carefully.
"Boar, you'll position your platoon to cover sections G-3-A to G-3-Z," Naruto concluded, tracing his finger across the map. "Deny entry and detain those attempting to exit. I will be within that zone shadowing the target. Backup may be required. Go!"
Boar nodded and disappeared, leaving Naruto and Sarutobi alone in the room. Once he was gone, Naruto gazed at Sarutobi. The Third Hokage nodded once, approving Naruto's plans, and the young ANBU let out a quiet sigh of relief.
This was the first time he had ever had full operational control over such an urgent mission. He had been present over dozens, if not hundreds, of mission briefings and had watched as he stood loyally by the Hokage's side as the ANBU captains and Jonin Commander had talked in short terse words over whatever mission they were planning. Even the ANBU Commander had interjected at one point, the enigmatic figure saying three words that, in hindsight, had entirely changed the outcome of the mission. Naruto was just hoping some of that had sunk in. It might have been a bit of an overkill to drag out a two out of the six ANBU Combat Platoons but Naruto wasn't taking any chances with such a dangerous S-ranked artefact on the loose.
"The mission has commenced," Naruto told his Hokage quietly. He paused. "I will bring him home."
A second later, the Third Hokage was alone.
The sun had fully set by the time Naruto had arrived on the outskirts of the Village. Many Shinobi would be disadvantaged or even crippled by the lack of visible light. However, the ANBU had two powerful accessories to help them with night-time operations. The first was their cloak. Embedded with many different seals, an ANBU's cloak when combined with their armour was able to deflect shuriken, dull the blows of a thrust kunai and even dent the blade of a sword swing. The cloak was water resistant, fireproofed and mud and dirt simply slid off of it. It was treated and woven in a way that made it extremely resistant to tears and burns and when kept out of the light, the cloak seemed to fade into the darkness until Shinobi and shadows were one.
The second was the ANBU mask. Many of the white porcelain masks didn't even have eyeholes but it was no deterrent or disadvantage to the ANBU wearing them. They were specifically crafted for each individual Shinobi, moulded perfectly onto their faces for a seamless fit. When wearing it, one did not feel the weight of it at all. Ingenious seals, dating back to the era of the First Hokage, allowed the user to see through the solid plate as if it weren't there. The mask filtered out most poisons in the air while still allowing the Shinobi to use his or her nose to sniff out enemies- although the mask would automatically filter everything out if an unidentified and especially pervasive poison was detected.
The ANBU had learnt this the hard way from the Second Shinobi War against the Village Hidden in Sand.
In a very similar way to the cloak, the mask kept dirt and sand out away from the face and it was impossible to block or impair the user's vision. Even the effects of flashbangs were diluted; retina-scorching light merely became irritating. The opposite could also hold true and the mask allowed ANBU operating in night-time to see more accurately. There was a rumour that Konoha's Research and Development Department were trying to come up with a way of attuning the masks to be able to see the 'heat' of living organisms- but so far nothing had come of it.
Beneath his mask and hidden in the shadows, Naruto silently watched from a large tree branch as Konohamaru poured over the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. His chakra supressed as best he could, Naruto controlled his breathing and remained motionless- ignoring the large part of him that wanted to storm down into the small clearing and whack the stupid brat over the head. His feelings were only slightly abated as he took in the young boys pure desperation, Konohamaru trying desperately to master one of the techniques in the Scroll. Naruto kept a very careful eye on the boy- the techniques were forbidden for a reason- but so far the brown-haired child hadn't even come close to mastering one.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.
After twenty minutes, a motionless Naruto was beginning to get impatient. He had detected no other presence within distance and hadn't seen any signal flares go up at the various choke points he had assigned the two ANBU platoons at. There was no sign of the unknown mastermind- wait! Naruto's eyes darted to the left but he didn't move his head as he detected the slight vibration of movement. Somebody was pushing through the undergrowth, plants rustling loudly as this person didn't even attempt to hide. Naruto waited and with a twitch of his fingers the spring-loaded mechanism in his right cloak sleeve placed a kunai into his hand.
Who was it?
The figure burst into the clearing and Naruto tensed, ready to move in. Some part of him was surprised at the identity of the man as Umino Iruka, Konohamaru's teacher, glared down at the surprised-looking boy.
"You!" He roared. "What have you done?"
Naruto paused.
"H-Hey!" Konohamaru waved at Iruka nervously. "You're too early! I haven't learnt a technique yet! Give me some more time, please!"
"More time?" Iruka roared. He lunged forward and snatched the scroll out of Konohamaru's hands. "You shouldn't even be looking at this, you idiot! Do you want to kill yourself?"
Naruto frowned. Despite his anger, he could see and feel the concern and worry in the scarred chunins voice. What was going on here?"
"But…the test!" Konohamaru protested. He reached for the scroll. "I haven't finished the test yet?"
"What test?" Iruka unknowingly echoed Naruto's question.
"The test Mizuki-sensei gave me!" Konohamaru said quietly. He bowed his head. "He said that it was a shame that a descendent of the Third Hokage could fail their graduation test. He said that there was an secret test, where you passed if you could prove that you were a Shinobi! I had to steal this scroll and learn a technique- but they're too hard!"
Iruka was staring at Konohamaru with a strange look on his face. "But," he said quietly. "It was Mizuki who told me that you had stolen the Scroll and told me where you had ran off to..." he trailed off as it became clear.
Naruto would have intervened right there and then but he was taken completely by surprise as something flashed in the corner of his eye. He moved his head just in time as kunai pierced the trunk behind him. He didn't dodge the next set as they slammed into his chest, three blades thrown with unnerving accuracy at his vital points. The cloak and armour absorbed most of the blow but Naruto heard a crack and grunted in pain. An instant later, wires wrapped around his chest and arms, binding and trapping him to the trunk of the tree. Something shifted in the darkness and two gleaming windmill shurikens came spinning at him.
One was set to sever his head. The other exploded and a shower of deadly debris rained down on the cloaked figure bound to the tree. There was a blur of movement as Naruto dropped from underneath his cloak, leaving it still bound to the tree. He felt a streak of white-hot pain slash at his face and felt thuds against the back of his armour as he dropped to the ground and leapt forward.
"Get down!" Naruto shouted, flickering over to the surprised Iruka and Konohamaru, who had only just looked up. Between the second-short ambush and his escape, he had distinctly heard sizzling.
He threw himself over Konohamaru just as the tree he had been hiding in exploded in a great ball of fire. The ground roared and shuddered, the shockwave disorientating and throwing Naruto off. It only cost him seconds, but seconds was all that the mysterious assailant needed. He rolled to his feet, a kunai in his hand, prepared to defend from a second attack.
He had no need.
Iruka stood in front of the two boys, arms outstretched as multiple Kunai littering his body. Naruto observed him clinically- the armour had blocked most of the damage and no vital points had been hit.
"Mizuki!" Iruka growled. "Come out!"
There was laughter from the trees and a figure appeared on a tree branch further up from the burning remains where Naruto had been standing. The man was dressed in a Chunin vest and had silver hair and cold blue eyes.
"Iruka, this really doesn't concern you," he said, idly spinning a kunai in his hand. He only had eyes for Naruto, however, and watched him keenly as the young ANBU stood up. "All I want is the scroll and the kid and I'll go. There's no need to die over this."
"You traitor!" Iruka breathed.
"Mizuki," Naruto called out, even as he unwrapped the bandage strapped round his leg and began binding his shoulder. His armour had been cracked and dented but it had held up but the edge of his mask had shattered and there was something warm and sticky dripping down his cheek. "There are four ANBU patrols and the Third Hokage surrounding the area. You will not escape. Surrender and you will be spared."
"You know, I think I'll take my chances," Mizuki said with a grin that told Naruto that he was entirely too confident. "I'm a smart guy, I'll find a way out."
He already had a way out, Naruto realised abruptly. He reached for his flares only to pause- they had been stashed away in his robe which, if it hadn't been turned to ashes by now, was surrounded by a blazing fire. ANBU equipment was tough- but not tough enough to come out of ground-zero of detonating Grade 1 explosive notes.
"You're not that smart," Naruto remarked dryly and he snapped his fingers. Shadow Clones that had been observing from other trees launched themselves at the traitor, who actually looked surprise as he jumped away from tree.
As Mizuki and the Shadow Clones engaged in hand-to-hand combat, Naruto whirled around to Iruka and Konohamaru.
"Iruka," Naruto called. "Can you move?"
"Yes!" Iruka gritted out between clenched teeth.
"I'm giving you a priority S-ranked mission!" Naruto commanded. "You are to take the scroll and Konohamaru and leave the area. Move 4 clicks west and you'll find reinforcements. Understand?"
Iruka nodded as Konohamaru looked on tearfully. Three loud puffs of smoke filled the clearing as Mizuki dispelled the three of the four clones.
"Naruto…" the young boy sobbed. A moment later, Iruka had bundled both him and the clone up and quickly fled the area.
Naruto turned to Mizuki as he finished off the last shadow clone and analysed. The target had shown impressive close-combat capabilities. His stealth was high- although it was likely he had been waiting before Naruto had arrived and saw where the young ANBU had hidden. Weapon skills high. Ninjutsu unknown. Genjutsu unknown but possible adequate considering he had crept up on Naruto.
"I'll catch them!" Mizuki snarled as he whirled around to face Naruto.
Naruto gave him a cold glance and his emotionless white mask turned to face the traitor. "No, you won't," was all he said.
He launched at Mizuki at great speeds and enjoyed the brief look of surprise in the older man's eyes. Naruto's taijutsu depended on great speed and integration with weaponry to deal damage. As a twelve year old, he was too small and lacked the bulk of experienced close-combat fighters. His speed, however, was what allowed him to go toe-to-toe with bigger and stronger opponents.
Dodge. Dodge. Jump. Dodge. Feint left, strike with kunai on the right. Duck kick, jump back from follow-up. Body-Flicker behind, avoid reflexive punch. Stab. Parry blow. Redirect punch. Slash at tendons. Kick at knee. Stab. Reach into pouch. Jump to avoid low-house kick. Throw Shuriken. Lunge with stab. Parry blow. Pull back on wires to bring shuriken back. Replacement!
Both Naruto and Mizuki used the replacement technique as a series of shurikens punctured the silver-haired chunins back at the same time Mizuki landed a powerful kick underneath Naruto's chin.
A windmill shuriken was flying from the shadows as Naruto reappeared on the ground. The ANBU let his chakra flare, feeling it slam down on the entire clearing, and weaved his hand seals. Wind Release: Great Breakthrough! A roaring wave of wind slammed into the shuriken and sent it spiralling into the air as the tree branches rustled. A second later, the ground grumbled and a series of large rocky spikes shot up and slammed Naruto in the chest. He gurgled as Mizuki jumped up from underneath the ground and shoved a kunai into the ANBU's mask with a loud metallic clang.
"Gotcha!" the traitor grinned maliciously. He paused and narrowed his eyes. "Wait…"
The sound of metal whistling through the air made him jump back and the henge on the windmill shuriken that Naruto had replaced himself with disappeared. Reappearing in the air, Naruto launched a series of Kunai at Mizuki and blazed through a set of hand-seals.
Fire Release: Soaring Flame Bullets!
Naruto felt his chest swell as chakra burst from the tenketsu in his throat and upper mouth. Fire elemental chakra poured from the points and Naruto manipulated the shape of the chakra to take form of a volley of blazing streaks of fire. They crashed to the ground, engulfing Mizuki and the windmill shuriken in flames. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he dropped gracefully to the ground and crouched there. He flipped through another series of hand-seals and pressed his hands to the ground.
Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!
From his hand came a furious discharge of surging bolts of lightning. They tore through the ground, tearing apart the earth and soil. There was a strangled yell as Naruto pumped his chakra into the ground and a flash of movement jumped up away from him. Mizuki leapt from the ground, his armour in pieces and holding his arm, and ducked behind a tree as Naruto lifted his hands and sent waves of cascading lightning after him.
"You won't win!" Mizuki yelled desperately as Naruto dispelled the technique, lowering his hands. "I didn't want to have to use this so soon but I can't let you win!"
Naruto felt the ground shifting again and, chakra pumping into his feet, he jumped gracefully away, landing on the tree branch of a nearby tree. The earlier fire techniques had dissipated as the chakra within it was burned up but the acrid smell of smoke filled the air, blocked only partially by his mask.
"Forbidden Technique!" Mizuki cried out. "Animal Cursed Seal of Heaven!"
Naruto crouched, watching the tree where Mizuki had hid warily. He started as something boomed and before his astonished eyes the tree trunk shattered and buckled. With a loud groan, the top of the tree came crashing down and slammed into the ground. The tree Naruto was standing on creaked and groaned but otherwise remained still as Mizuki appeared from behind the tree.
'What was that?' Naruto thought.
Where Mizuki had once stood there was now a monster- or something that looked a lot like it. A muscle-bound behemoth of a thing stood there, flexing its hands in marvel. It was bipedal, covered in orange fur with thick black stripes adorning its hide. A mane of whitish-silvery hair covered its ears and draped down over its face, where two murderous blue eyes glinted.
"Mizuki?" Naruto breathed.
"This is it!" Mizuki howled. He slammed a fist into the palm of his large clawed hand. "This is the power I wanted! Thank you, my lord! You have delivered exactly what you promised!"
He turned his ferocious gaze on Naruto and the muscles in his new thick thighs tensed. In a sudden burst of speed, he had cleared the distance between Naruto and himself in a flash, his fist cocked back. Naruto flinched at the sudden speed and narrowly sidestepped the first punch. His leg came up instinctively and he shifted his balance, thrusting his knee into the exposed behemoths chest. Mizuki roared and Naruto winced. The ANBU jumped back to avoid a swipe of the claws and disappeared in a whirlwind of smoke and leaves.
He reappeared some distance away, his knee throbbing with pain. His hand came up and with a puff of smoke two-dozen shadow clones appeared.
"Go!" Naruto ordered and they obeyed, launching themselves from behind the tree and moving to engage the new and improved traitor.
He created two more clones and together they weaved a series of hand seals, each one ending on a different sign. A series of loud pops echoed through the forest as the beastlike Mizuki had no trouble dispelling the clones.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet Technique!"
"Earth Release: Seismic Upheaval Technique!"
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"
Mizuki, who had just finished off the land shadow clone in hand-to-hand combat, felt the ground rumbling and the trees howling looked up in horror.
The original Naruto poured his elemental chakra and released it from his mouth in a giant stream of fire. He held his hands up as he directed the flames, a third of the torrent burrowing underneath the ground, a third rushing straight ahead and a third spirally into the sky. Fire elemental chakra blended with wind and the fire exploded as blades of wind tore through it. Flame and wind spun together with a high-pitched shriek and the streams of fire in the air and on the ground met to create a wall of flame that encompassed trees and plants, reducing them to ash in mere seconds. Fire and earth elemental chakra also met as the earth technique melded with the fire technique. The ground rumbled and was torn apart as geysers of exploding soil roared up into the heavens, great gouts of fire ripping through rock and stone in seconds.
There was nowhere for Mizuki to run. He made a series of signs and slammed his hands to the ground. Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!
The soil beneath his fingers trembled as chakra was poured into it and it rose up and took the form of a muddied wall twice as tall and once as thick as Mizuki. Earth elemental chakra raced over the surface. The wall hardened into thick gleaming stone that flickered from the light of the wall of flame coming towards it. Mizuki leapt up and gripped the side of the walls with the soles of his feet. He slammed his bestial hands on the stone just as the wind-enhanced fire struck the wall. The wall glowed from the pressure and heat of wall of flame and shuddered as the earth around it exploded in pillars of fire and mud. Shrapnel tore at him, cutting into his fur and hardened muscle, and Mizuki howled with pain but he kept his hands on the rock, pouring as much chakra as he could spare into his only defense.
The fire looked as if it would overcome him but after a few moments it abated and the wall held, cracked and trembling but whole.
He was completely unprepared for the four shadow clones that darted from around both sides of the wall and lunged at him. A kunai flashed as Mizuki tensed his muscles and leapt off the wall. The first shadow clone bridged the distance and plunged his blade deep into the beast's knee. The second ignored Mizuki's howl of agony as it stabbed its kunai deep into his torso. The third jumped up above him and grabbed the fourth's arm, pulling with all its might and sending the shadow clone plummeting down to deliver a nasty rib-crushing kick to the airborne Chunin.
Mizuki slammed into the ground with great force and little warning. The earth, churned and baked, seared into his fur and he yelped, rising up on his one good leg and panting as blood dribbled from his mouth. His body so filled with the sensation of pain and burning, he didn't feel the slight vibrations below him until the ground below him cracked and parted as something jumped up from underneath him.
"Rasengan!"
A bright whirring orb of spinning chakra caught Mizuki right in the chest. He howled in agony as the chakra spun away, tearing into flesh, muscle and bone. The force of the technique propelled him up into the sky, where the third and last shadow clone was ready for him. With another devastating kick, Mizuki was slammed back into the ground. This time, he didn't get up.
The shadow clones dispersed as Naruto jumped up from the ground. His armour was muddied and blood dripped from the crevice of his mask but underneath his blue eyes was fierce and proud. It was with slight apprehension that Naruto watch the transformed Mizuki start to shrivel up and waste away. In a few minutes, there was only a wasted husk of a man left. The chest rose once, twice, and then stopped moving at all.
Sometime later, a bandaged and thoroughly debriefed Naruto walked quietly through the Hokage's residence. The Scroll of Forbidden Seals had been secured and Konohamaru had been returned safely to his home. All in all, Naruto was satisfied- if not aching, tired and ready for a good rest. He passed Konohamaru's room in the hallway and paused.
Sarutobi had undoubtedly heard him coming but he didn't move from the doorway, watching Konohamaru peacefully sleep off the night's chaos. Naruto hesitated and then moved forward to step next to the Hokage.
"Is he alright?" Naruto murmured, eying Konohamaru's tear-streaked face.
"He's fine," Sarutobi answered quietly. "A little wiser, perhaps, and most certainly a little jaded but it will be good for him. This is a dangerous business we partake in."
Naruto said nothing but he felt a pang of concern. He knew that the Third Hokage was old but he had never truly seen it until just then. The 'God of Shinobi' looked very old, very tired and very frail. The weight of decades of service bowed his shoulders and hunched his back. There was no hint of the power and strength that Naruto was accustomed to and he hesitated.
"You are dismissed, Naruto," Sarutobi murmured.
"Sir," Naruto acknowledged automatically.
"Naruto," Sarutobi said as the blond ANBU turned to leave. Naruto paused. "Thank you."
Naruto shifted in surprise. The old man did not usually deliver his praise or approval so blatantly. "It's my duty," he said honestly. "And a privilege."
For the one who had rescued Naruto from the hell of loneliness and despair, who had given him the strength needed to protect the village and who have given him a familiar and those to care and protect, this evenings task had been nothing.
Sarutobi turned and managed a smile. "I'll see you in the morning," he murmured and Naruto dipped his head.
The Third Hokage waited until he heard the door to Naruto's room close before he turned back to Konohamaru. He smiled somewhat sadly. "Your son has turned out to be a splendid shinobi, Minato," he mused. "Perhaps that will be enough to earn your forgiveness."
Directive #1: At all times must an ANBU preserve the Will of Fire, ensuring the safety and security of the village of Konoha and her inhabitants, young and old. This supersedes any and all other orders and duties.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone