The dense forest was deathly quiet; it was an odd lack of noise in a forest that had made its self known for the animals that lived here, amongst the tall and thick trees that made up training ground 44, the forest of death. 'Thunk', 'thunk', 'thunk' came the sound of the kunai hitting their targets, as a blonde and black blur jumped from tree to tree, his breathing deep but controlled as he leapt again, and struck out, landing a perfect hit on the target with the kunai he had just thrown. He stopped on a tree branch, panting slightly, he sighed and tilted his head back, letting the warm sunlight and soft breeze wash over him, he smiled serenely and sniffed, the air carried on it a scent of the forest and the clean and pure air that surrounded him in a comforting blanket, sheltering him from the worries and pains of the world outside of this moment.

He had no idea how long he must of lain there when he heard the sound of someone approaching and he thanked the heavens that Kyuubi had granted him increased senses that night years ago, otherwise he may of been caught unaware as a kunai flew past him and imbedded itself into the tree he was sitting on, okay, now that just wasn't nice

"What the fuck you crazy bitch!?" Naruto shouted as a purple haired woman appeared facing him; she was scantily clad in a fishnet shirt and a trench coat along with a skirt that seemed to leave very little to the imagination

"Who you calling a crazy bitch!?" she shouted back, visibly angered and he sighed. Visibly calming himself he levelled a cold glare at her

"I was sitting there peacefully minding my own business and then you have the nerve to strike out and try to nail me with a kunai even though I was unaware of you being there" he hissed, having to fight back the rising urge to strike back out and decapitate the woman standing in front of him in the blink of an eye

"Yeah well, I didn't know if you were an enemy or not, I mean, it's not like people come to this place often" she replied to his statement, earning her a raised eyebrow in response from Naruto

"I know" he replied "that's why I come here to train" he explained and her eyes softened slightly in understanding, but the mad gleam that she had earlier was still there, he sighed and sat back down on the branch he had been resting on, closing his eyes.

He could hear her trying to creep up on him so he snapped his eyes open and glared at her, releasing a small amount of killing intent

"back off, I'm tired and want to sleep, if you've got somewhere else to be then please go away" he said and closed his eyes again, he felt her move towards him and then sit beside him, he heard her sigh and without opening his eyes he began to talk

"My names Uzumaki Naruto, or 'the demon brat' if you prefer" he told her, this time it was her who raised an eyebrow as she had heard of him, and was surprised that he wasn't a hyperactive and cocky kid like some people said he was, and that he wasn't wearing orange

"Mitarashi Anko" Anko replied, wondering if this was the same person she thought it was

"You're probably wondering if I'm the same Naruto who pulled all of those pranks, the answers yes, I am him, but like you I live behind a mask" he said, opening his eyes and looking at her as he said that last bit, earning him a slightly startled look as he had seen past her fake persona so quickly

"look gaki" Anko said, her confidence returning to her quickly as she got over her shock "I don't know where you get this shit from, but I've got to go" she said as she got up and jumped away, outside she looked calm but in reality she was fairly shaken that a kid could see past her mask with so little difficulty

"Damn it" she hissed as she continued to her home.

Naruto watched her go with a slight scowl on his face, she was like him, he wasn't stupid, and he could see the pain that existed in her heart and refused to be let out. He sighed, he still had training to do, after all, his new 'sensei' didn't teach them fuck all, and Naruto was consistently having to hold back to stop himself from simply jumping in and snapping the jonins neck like a twig, after all, the last thing he needed was the council getting a reason to kill him. He stood up on the branch and jumped down, he needed to find somewhere to sleep for the night.

*next day*

The next day Anko was shocked to find the blonde kid still there in her forest, and not only that, it appeared as though he had camped out here yesterday if the blackened patch of ground was any indicator, she sat up in one of the tall trees watching him as he trained, then he stopped and stepped back, she paused in eating her favourite snack, dango, and watched as the boy growled and she stared in shock as a strong wind began to flow around him

"Kaze gijutsu : kuuki yashi" (wind technique: air palm) he called out and Anko watched, the shock and amazement building as suddenly air seemed to be gathering in his palm, he shouted and slammed both of his palms into the tree in front of him and Anko watched as a large portion of the tree was suddenly blown apart from the force of the strike and the air combined

"Are you going to sit up there all day eating dango, or are you going to come down here and give me something to work out my frustration on?" Naruto asked, his voice slightly deeper than usual thanks to the rather heavy workout

"You wouldn't stand a chance against me, gaki" Anko stated confidently, only to suddenly realise he wasn't in front of her anymore and felt the cold steel of a kunai blade against her neck as a voice behind her spoke

"You were saying?" and before she could turn around he disappeared again and reappeared where he was before

"You're on gaki" Anko growled and, putting her dango on the branch, jumped down to face Naruto who cracked his neck and sighed before settling into a stance that faintly resembled the Hyuga clans fighting stance, Anko raised an eyebrow before attacking him.

To say she was surprised would be an understatement, she was gobsmacked when he easily blocked and/or dodged her punches and she grew more irate by the minute until she eventually pulled back

"Sen'eijashu" (shadow snake hands) she called and smirked as snakes came flying out of her sleeves towards Naruto who jumped back before forming some hand seals

"Kaze no Yaiba" (blade of wind) he called and in an instant his right hand was coated with wind as a blade formed as he dived at Anko as he sliced the snakes to pieces before appearing in front of Anko, delivering an air palm straight to her chest, sending her back twenty feet and into a tree, Anko stood up, abate shakily, and glared at him, he simply stared calmly back and got back into his air palm stance and motioned to her to attack him. She roared and attacked, now no longer holding back, she smirked as she realised he was now being forced to block and not dodge all of her attacks unlike previously, she smirked as she struck out and landed a vicious right hook to his face that sent him skidding back a couple of feet, he lifted himself up and looked at her, the air in his palms grew in size and intensity and he smirked

"kai" he muttered and thrust his hands in her direction and she gasped as the wind in his palms suddenly shot out like a bullet and struck her sending her back into another tree before she could even blink

"I win" he stated soundly, walking over to where Anko lay and began healing her.

Anko awoke a few minutes later and sat up, she winced a bit as a small bit of pain shot through her chest where she'd been hit by the technique of Naruto's, she then looked around the small clearing where they'd been fighting only to realise he was no longer there, she sighed and stood up, wincing at the pain in her left leg but ignoring it as she jumped up to where her dango now sat, cold, as expected

"Hey, Anko!" an all too familiar voice called out and she turned to find Naruto jumping towards her with a carrier bag in his right hand, he landed next to her and sat down, patting the branch next to him, she sighed and grudgingly sat down beside him, she was scowling until he brought out a box that smelled of her favourite food in the entire universe

"Is that...?" she asked and he nodded, handing it to her, she grabbed it thanking him before digging in and letting out a satisfied groan that made Naruto smirk

"I knew you liked it, but come on" he said, grinning perversely at her, she caught onto the meaning after a few seconds and stuck her tongue at him who laughed at her childish behaviour before leaning back against the tree and digging in to his own food, miso beef ramen, he smiled as the familiar taste hit his taste buds.

They both sat there a while, just listening to the sounds of the forest around them as they enjoyed the meal he had gotten. He smiled suddenly and looked over to her, who looked back innocently

"I think we should get to know each other better" he said out of the blue and laughed as she chocked on the piece of dango she'd been eating, he smiled and patted her on the back, waiting for her to calm down
"Better?" he asked and she nodded, felling a bit embarrassed from her reaction to the rather innocent question

"Now, I'll start" he said and cleared his throat and facing her "my name is Uzumaki Naruto, I like ramen and training and my few precious people, I dislike people who can't look underneath the surface and past their own delusions, I also hate egotistical pricks and fan girls, my dream is to become strong, strong enough to live without fear of my loved ones getting hurt" he said and Anko nodded and sighed, leaning back a bit

"my name, as you know, is Mitarashi Anko, I like dango, training and torture" Naruto sweat dropped and chuckled softly at that, making her raise an eyebrow before continuing "I dislike snakes and people who can't see past their own delusions, my dream is to kill my sensei" she said, spitting out the name like it left a foal taste in her mouth, Naruto frowned and moved to her side, and put a hand on her shoulder, asking her with his eyes if she was okay, she looked at him and nodded and finished "and to hopefully..." she mumbled the last bit but Naruto only smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist which made her look up at him in shock

"I want to raise a family too" Naruto said looking up at the sky as Anko simply looked at him and sighed, before shrugging his arm off of her and stood up

"I better get going, don't want old Kure-chan getting worried because I didn't turn up" Anko said and Naruto nodded and smiled at her and she took off through the trees, wondering just what she'd gotten herself into now.

Anko arrived at her favourite dango place, she walked into the small shop and her nose was assaulted by the many different smells of all the different types of dango that were being made, she closed her eyes and breathed in the heavenly scent before looking around and spying her friend Kurenai sitting at a table staring out of the window waiting for her to arrive

"Oi, Kure-chan" Anko called out to her friend as she made her way over to the table and seated herself on the other side from her friend

"Hello, Anko-chan" Kurenai replied to her friend "how's it been going?" she asked politely as they both ordered their dango and waited for their food to arrive

"I've been good, speaking of which, I met someone really...nice yesterday" Anko said, and Kurenai looked at her with raised eyebrows, after all, when was the last time Anko said anyone was 'nice'?

"His names Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto, I found him training in the forest yesterday, and then I met him again today and we sparred, he won" Anko said and laughed at her friends shocked face

"He beat you? How?" Kurenai asked, now even more intrigued about this boy that her friend had met

"He's really quick and knows some really cool techniques, he beat me fair and square" Anko replied as their order arrived and they started to eat

"He's a lot like me actually, Kure-chan" Anko mumbled after she finished and Kurenai waited for her long term friend to continue

"I mean...he's been through so much shit in his life, and yet he just walked through it like it was nothing and come out the other side all the stronger for it, I'm shocked Kure, he understands me so well its almost frightening" Anko told her friend who smiled at her

"Then he's a perfect friend isn't he, Anko, and if he really is as strong as you say then perhaps you should speak to the Hokage about him, from what I remember about Naruto, the Hokage's like a grandfather to the kid" Kurenai explained and watched as Anko's eyes brightened, she leaned over and kissed Kurenai on the cheek before shouting a 'thank you' and disappearing in a swirl of leaves, and Kurenai smiled and chuckled at her friends antics.

Anko appeared in the Hokage's office just as Sarutobi was finishing the last of his paperwork

"Hey old man" Anko said cheerfully, and the Hokage looked up and smiled at her

"Oh, hello Anko, what brings you here today?" the aging Hokage asked her, smiling kindly at her

"I need to speak to you about someone, one Uzumaki Naruto" she said and watched as the Hokage raised an eyebrow and sat back

"What's he done this time?" he asked, sounding as if he'd dealt with this a million times before, but Anko's smile didn't falter

"Apart from beating me in a friendly spar, nothing much" she said as casually as she could as the Hokage choked on his pipe, before breathing deeply and sighing

"okay then, what do you want to talk to me about?" he asked, trying not to notice as Anko fanned herself with her trench coat a bit, giving him a small flash of her left breast. She smiled as she saw the old man trying desperately not trying to look down at her rather developed chest

"I just want to know a few things, like who's his sensei, why is he still a genin, and just why is he camping out in the middle of my forest?" she asked and the Hokage looked at her

"To answer those in order, Kakashi, because he wants to be, and I don't know" the Hokage said

"What do you mean 'because he wants to be'?" she asked in confusion

"He doesn't want to take the test until he's sure the council won't try anything" the old man explained and Anko nodded before an idea hit her

"What if he becomes an 'unofficial jonin' like I was until I took the test" the Hokage just looked at her for a moment before smashing his head on his desk as Anko laughed long and hard

"Actually, I've got a better idea" Sarutobi said, grinning manically

"What?" Anko asked, although a bit apprehensively as the gleam in his eye made her nervous

"I could make him a jonin under your care" he said, the gleam not leaving his eyes for a moment

"Hey..." Anko tried to argue before the Hokage held up a hand

"Think about it, I could send you two on mission together, you'd have to be recognised as a full jonin by the council since your 'teaching' someone and Naruto could get a sensei that cares enough to give a damn" Sarutobi said and Anko went silent, weighing the pros and cons in her head, on one hand it would be annoying and possibly frustrating, but on the other hand, he was like her so they should get along fine, she liked him already, especially since he comforted her about her sensei which not may would be willing to do, given her reputation, he was at least her level in strength and he understood her like no one else did or could

"I'll do it" she said and Sarutobi grin turned into a full blown smile as he shook Anko's hand

"You'll have a few says to get to know your new 'student' and then you'll start some missions, simple ones at first, you understand?" he said and she nodded, grinning before disappearing, leaving the Hokage to fight with his age old and undefeatable adversary, paperwork.

Anko reappeared back inside the forest where she had left Naruto, she looked around and found him sitting high up towards the tops of one of the trees, looking up at the sky and towards the sun as it began to slowly sink beneath the horizon, turning the sky a golden orange as the sky began to slowly grow darker

"Hey gaki!" she called out as she waved up at him while walking up the tree towards him, he turned and waved back

"Hey Anko" he said as she finally reached him and sat on the same branch as him

"Guess what?" she said to him excitedly and he had to smile yet again at her childlike behaviour before shaking his head

"You're going to be my student!" she shouted, hugging him tightly to her ample bosom, but rather than passing out a she expected him to he hugged her back, they stood like that for a few more moments before pulling back

"You're going to be made an 'unofficial jounin' under my care" she explained and he nodded

"But why?" he asked and she looked at him strangely

"Why what?" she asked while tilting her head in an inquisitive manner

"Why are you helping me?" he asked and she looked down at her feet nervously

"Because, we're really alike, and even though we've only known each other for a few days, I-I already think of you as my friend" she mumbled, surprising herself, she wondered why she couldn't put up her mask around him and chalked it down to him being the same as her. Naruto smiled and hugged her again before sitting down on the branch he had been on and looked up at the setting sun

"You're my friend too, Anko" he said and she smiled at that, looking around nervously

"I better get going, don't want to be late tomorrow after all" she said and he nodded while smiling, giving her a little wave as she disappeared back to her apartment to get some sleep.

*next day*

Naruto was really really getting annoyed with his sensei, I mean, the damned prick was always two hours late and then had the nerve to teach them fuck all.

Naruto was sitting in a tree, stewing over the fact that he had a dick had for a sensei when he suddenly felt someone approach him from below, he looked down to find Anko walking towards him with a smile on her face that he now mirrored

"Hey Naruto-kun" she called out and he raised and inquisitive eyebrow at the new suffix on his name

"Hey Anko-chan" he called back, earning him a smile as he leapt down from the tree he was in to sit down beside Anko as they began talking about things.

Both Sakura and Sasuke were confused at the new arrival and Narutos possible relationship with her, Sakura walked over first, wanting to find out who this person was Naruto was being so friendly to

"Ano...who are you?" Sakura said, interrupting the conversation just as Naruto was telling Anko about the time he dyed the Hokage's robes bright neon pink, needless to say that didn't settle well with the Tokubetsu Jonin who had been enjoying her time with Naruto when this pink haired banshee had made herself known

"I'm Anko" Anko replied sharply, irritating the pink haired girl

"Why are you here?" Sakura asked, and Anko shrugged and hugged Naruto to her

"Because I want to" she said in a innocent voice that made Naruto laugh at her antics even though he was trying desperately not to notice how nice those two soft mounds felt pressing against his arm

"Ima sugu (now now), Anko-chan, don't start a fight" Naruto said and Sakura glared at him, okay, now Anko didn't like her at all

"Shut up Naruto-baka" Sakura said sharply and Anko let go of Naruto to send a kunai whistling by Sakura's cheek, cutting her just enough so that blood came out and before Sakura had a chance to say anything Anko appeared behind her, licking the blood off of her cheek in a seductive and slightly sadistic manner that made Sakura shudder involuntarily

"That wasn't a very nice thing to say to Naruto-kun now, was it?" Anko asked as she ran her hands slowly up Sakura's arms, making Sakura gasp and Naruto smirk at how uncomfortable Sakura was getting. It was at that moment that Kakashi decided to arrive

"Yo" he said in his usual manner before noticing what was happening to Sakura and who was doing it
"Anko, could you please refrain from traumatising my student" he said and Anko looked at him before slowly pulling away and sitting back down next to Naruto who simply rested back up against the tree

"Why are you here, Anko?" Kakashi asked, wondering why she was sitting so close to Naruto

"I'm here to tell you that you're a shitty teacher and that Naruto has now been given to me" Anko said, while looking extremely bored even while clutching Naruto possessively, making him sweat drop

"Under who's..." Kakashi started to say

"the Hokage" Anko replied before he could finish his question "Naruto will now be on a two man team, namely, me and him and will be given missions from C to B and possibly even A-rank" Anko said as the others of team seven, minus Naruto, looked at her in shock
"you're kidding" Sakura mumbled and Anko shot her a glare that could melt solid steel

"No, I have tested him myself, he could probably kill Kakashi if he put his mind to it, and as such he has been granted 'unofficial jonin' status by the Hokage" Anko explained and looked over the shocked faces of team seven smiling with satisfaction at having burst their little bubble

"this is insane" Sasuke finally said "the dobe couldn't possibly be that powerful, he was the dead last at the academy, always has been and always will be, there is no way your specking the truth" Sasuke said cockily before suddenly finding himself tied up with snakes along with a kunai pointing at something rather precious, and no, it wasn't his eyes.

"You really should teach your brats some manners, if you don't believe me then you can ask the Hokage, come on naru-kun" Anko said, he tone going from sadistic to happy in a moment as she grabbed hold of Narutos arm and disappeared in swirl of leaves, leaving a confused pink haired girl, and confused jonin and a furious Uchiha.

Anko and Naruto reappeared in the forest of death a few minutes later with them both appearing where they had been fighting the day before,

"Okay Naruto-kun, show me what you got" Anko growled as she got into her fighting stance, Naruto raised his eyebrows in confusion but settled into his own stance anyway, they both stayed like that for a few moments, the only sound being a light breeze that softly rustled the leaves around them, as soon as the breeze died down they struck, fists flying and legs kicking out.

They continued in this for a few minutes before Anko landed a sold punch to Narutos gut, and in her moment of triumph at actually being able to land a hit on him, she seemed to forget that he had hands as well and soon found herself on her back, a rather painful sensation on her face, she then noticed Naruto standing over her, looking quite please with himself

"You did quite well, but your style is not well suited against my own, yours relies on quick movements as does mine, but yours requires you to take out your enemies fairly quickly whereas mine, thanks to my stamina, is one where I wear the opponent down" Naruto said before helping her up and beginning to walk off

"Hey, where do you think you're going, gaki?" Anko called out to him, he only smiled and winked at her before vanishing in a swirl of leaves

"Damned gaki" Anko mumbled before she too disappeared.

The next day Kakashi arrived in the Hokage's office and waited patiently as the aging man filled his pipe and after drawing a long breath on it he turned to Kakashi

"What can I do for you today Kakashi-san?" he asked the silver haired jonin

"Sir, I would like to know why one of my students has been placed on a two man cell with Anko-san" Kakashi said, staring straight at the Hokage whose only response was to sigh and take a long drag from his pipe, he allowed the sweet smell of the tobacco to fill his lungs before turning back to the jonin in front of him

"He had been placed there for a number of reasons, one is that you have failed as a teacher, and I don't give a damn what the council say Kakashi, I will not have you disregarding your other students for a boy who is nothing more than a spoiled brat" the Hokage said earning himself a shocked expression from the usually laidback man "the second reason is that he is far stronger than your reports indicate and as such I have seen fit to place him at such a level, the third and final reason is because he would do far better under Anko's care rather than yours, dismissed" the Hokage said

"But sir-"the silver haired jonin tried to reason but the Hokage cut him off with a glare that could frighten the Kyuubi itself

"Dismissed" the Hokage said with an authority gained only through fighting countless battles and coming out the victor, Kakashi bowed stiffly before taking his leave from the room in a swirl of leaves. The Hokage sighed; today was not going to be a good day.

Meanwhile in the forest of death Anko was watching Naruto fight with a large number of his clones, he ducked and weaved in such a way that Anko couldn't take her eyes off of him, the way he danced and dodged his clones strikes was like a beautiful but deadly dance, then he started fighting back, and the speed and precision of his strikes startled her, he danced past strikes and delivered his own in what could only be described as an awesome show of skill, speed and power. A few moments later and the last of his clones dispersed

"Damn" he muttered to himself and she looked at him confused even though he couldn't see her

"Bit too sloppy on the last strike" he muttered to himself and turned around to see Anko looking at him with something akin to shock on her face

"Beautiful" she muttered to herself and Naruto laughed, bringing her out of her stupor, he walked up the tree and sat down beside her, swiping a stick of dango and eating it before she could even make a sound, he then sighed and sat back, looking up past the green canopy and into the sky, it was a bit more cloudy today that yesterday but the sun still shone through the partially transparent canopy and onto the ground where the shadows danced delicately against the ground and soft grass.

"What was that style? I've never seen it before" Anko asked Naruto who just smiled softly

"It's called fox style, and it's my own creation" he explained to her "it's based on the idea of just dodging and moving your opponents strikes so it requires little effort on the users part, although you are meant to strike out when you can" he said, smirking at the last part "it's also very fluid so it can be meshed with almost all the other styles that I've seen from what I know" he said as he closed his eyes, allowing his breathing to even out into a much more relaxed rhythm.

They both sat in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts, the warm breeze caressing their skin as they bathed in the soft warming glow of the sun as it looked down upon them

"Hey Anko" Naruto mumbled, being too relaxed to raise his voice above a soft whisper, Anko grunted in response "how do you think Kakashi's going to take the news" he asked with an amused smirk on his face and Anko chuckled a bit

"Not very well if I know that pervert" she answered and Naruto looked at her before turning to look back up

"I guess that answers one of my questions" he said and Anko turned to him with a confused look on her face and Naruto turned back to her "you don't like perverts" he stated and she laughed before laying down across his lap with her head looking up to his as he looked back into the sky

"Good thing you're not then" she said as she relaxed again

"I wish we could be like them" he finally said, Anko looked up at him confusedly, he looked back down and she almost gasped as she stared into his azure orbs, like an endless ocean, she felt like just looking and never stopping as they pulled her in further and further, "like the birds, so free and happy, never having to worry about a thing up there" he mumbled, his left hand beginning to softly stroke Anko's hair as he removed her hair band, Anko just sighed and relaxed again, surprised at just how safe and relaxed she felt with him, if it was anyone else stroking her hair like he was they would of suddenly found themselves without the ability to have children, she cut her thoughts off and decided to think on it later, she was far too relaxed to bother right now.

It was in this position that Kakashi found them in, Naruto hand his legs crossed and was leaning against the tree while he had his head back and looked to be sleeping, Anko had her head in Naruto's lap with his hand going through her hair at a leisurely pace and she looked to be asleep as well since she was curled up on the branch with her head turned to the left. Kakashi looked at the scene and, as usual, made a quick assumption and tried to sneak away to tell the Hokage or the council

"If you value your life Kakashi-san, you won't take another step" Naruto suddenly said, his eyes opening and looking at Kakashi, his eyes were cold and deadly serious, even with that his body language didn't change, he wasn't going to fight some bastard and disturb Anko, he'd only do it if he was forced to kill the man

"Oh, and why not, I'm sure the con-"he suddenly found a kunai pressed against his neck and a Naruto behind him

"You even think about telling those bastards and I promise you pain like you've never felt" he growled while pressing the kunai even closer to Kakashi so that a small amount of blood trickled down the blade and onto the handle

"Naruto listen" Kakashi tried to reason with his once student

"No Kakashi you listen, I'm sick and tired of people like you making my life hell, you made a wrong assumption with what you saw, me and Anko are simply resting here like good friends, nothing more and nothing less, well, it's not the Hokage would actually care and anyway, I'm recognised as an adult, old enough to kill, old enough to drink and fuck" he growled and dispersed, the real Naruto hadn't moved an inch

"Get out of here Kakashi, if you ever come here again or approach me without a very good reason I will deem you a threat and I will take your life, now get out of my sight" he said, the look on his face going from one of absolute seriousness to one of absolute disgust at the end "your very presence sickens me" he growled and Kakashi growled himself, slowly pulling out a kunai only to have a kunai go whizzing by his wrist, he looked to find Anko yawning and stretching

"Go Kakashi" she said and Kakashi disappeared. She stretched and settled back onto her pillow

"Your comfy" she said in a child like voice and Naruto laughed

"Glad I could be of service" he joked and they both shared a laugh.

The next few days passed in much the same way, Naruto and Anko would train together before simply relaxing or hanging out either within the forest or in town.

It was a few days after the 'Kakashi incident' that Naruto found himself training alone in the forest, wondering where the hell Anko could be, he shrugged it off and struck another clone before spinning on his heel and ducking a strike from behind and punching the clone in the gut, making it disperse in a cloud of smoke. He remembered hearing that team seven had got a new member called Sai, Naruto knew something was off with that kid, he was all fake and had no light in his eyes, Naruto suspected that he came from Danso's ROOT division, but without proof there was nothing he could do. He shrugged it off as well, it was likely that he was there to protect the helpless Uchiha and possibly report how useful he could be to Danso's plans.

Naruto finished off the last of his clones and stood there panting, he'd been wearing weights recently, it made him slightly slower than his clones, so he had to be much more cautious and was forced to react to muscle movements more than anything to be able to dodge the blows effectively, and it was working, much to his delight.

He walked over to a tree and sat down, he suddenly heard the sound of a kunai cutting through the air and moved his head to the left ever so slightly so that the kunai buried itself into the trunk of the tree he was resting against, he sniffed the air and smiled

"Hey Anko" he called out to the snake women on the branch above him, she groaned

"how do you do that?" she asked, it had become a little game of hers, she kept on trying to catch Naruto off guard but was never able to do it, a warm breath by her ear distracted her

"Because I can smell you" he whispered in her ear making her shiver, their playful flirting was a game they both enjoyed, she leaned back and he gently held her

"And what do I smell of?" she asked, her hand slowly moving towards her kunai pouch

"Sin" he said and disappeared just as she tried to slash him, she glared at him before pouting like a kicked puppy making him laugh

"Come on Anko, why were you late?" he asked, beckoning her to join him in resting against the tree, she jumped down and sat down beside him

"Well...." she said, trying to draw out the suspense, "we've got our first mission!" she shouted excitedly and glomped him

"And?" he asked, not really getting why she was so excited, aside from the fact she was slightly sadistic and very childish

"It's a B-rank!" she shouted and he laughed before hugging her back

"I think we should get packing" he said after a few minutes of playing around, he grabbed Anko's hand and pulled her up, and with that both of them disappeared from the clearing in a swirl of leaves.