Shattered Pieces

Chapter I

"Naruto! Are you even listening?" Blue eyes blinked in uncertainty before the head they were attached to shook itself, blonde spikes swaying gently. The boy appeared to be thirteen years old, wearing a look of regret and apology as the speaker reprimanded him. He wore a dark red kimono shirt that was wrapped by a matching obi, with a pair of similarly colored hakama pants. On each cheek were three whisker-like scars etched deeply into his flesh. The most remarkable feature, though, was that each of his fingers had large claws that seemed to be so deeply stained in blood that they would never come clean no matter how much bleach was used.

"I'm sorry, Kimimaro. What was that? I was looking at the moon." The other boy - probably 15 - scoffed and shook his own head. Kimimaro had shoulder-length, white hair with two maroon hair cuffs keeping the front left and back right sections of his hair bound and hanging over each shoulder. He wore a white battle kimono with a large, purple bow tied behind his back out of a thick rope. Behind the boy, a reptilian tail swayed back and forth in time to some unseen metronome.

"I was making sure that you remembered our orders?" The pale boy responded with more than a little agitation, but it was toned down as he had taken in the apologetic look on the blonde's face. "Look, I know you don't want to be here, that you really hate this sort of thing, but we need to show the Captain that we can be useful." Naruto looked down for a moment before a large grin took his face. His eyes changed from blue to a deep, blood red with slits for pupils. "Kurama, I'm talking to Naruto. You'll have your fun in a bit." The voice Kimimaro used that time was stern, commanding. It caused Naruto to shake his head again as his irides faded back into azure.

"Sorry about that. You know how overzealous Kurama gets…" Naruto apologized. With a sigh, he finally nodded. "Yeah, I know that we need to do this. Okay, what are the orders? Do I need to just let out Kurama again?" Kimimaro nodded as he held out his hand, a bone protruding from it. He grabbed it and yanked it from his wrist, holding it like a sword. "Play nice, Kurama…" Naruto whispered as his eyes blazed that dangerous crimson once again. That grin returned full-force as 'Kurama' looked at Kimimaro.

"Luckily for you, we're on distraction duty again." Kimimaro told the boy and pointed behind him. It was some sort of research facility with large fences around the perimeter, barbed wire on the top and enormous signs on it warning of the voltage coursing through the metal. "The other two will be sacking the buildings to find a particular target while we just wreak as much havoc as we possibly can."

"Perfect." Kurama noted. His voice was much different than Naruto's. Where Naruto was soothing and a bit hesitant, Kurama's tone exuded madness and bloodlust. Kurama didn't even take out a weapon, he simply flexed his hands, his bloody, bloody hands. Kimimaro led the way and slashed his bone sword against the steel gate. It tore through the wiring very easily and didn't conduct the electricity at all. Both of the Faunus headed through the hole and made their way onto the private property. "Payback's a bitch, Jacques. That, and karma." Kurama noted with a deranged smile as he rushed into the compound, leaving Kimimaro in his wake.

The very first person Kurama came into contact with was an intern carrying a few notebooks outside of a lab. Before she could raise her voice even slightly, Kurama had her throat in an iron grip. His claws dug into the girl's tender flesh as bluish-green tresses tangled in between his fingers. The blonde looked directly into the girl's eyes, soaking in her fear and feeling the strength it gave him. "Hello, girlie. Say hello to your old boss for me, will you?" With that, Kurama's left claw disemboweled her at the same time his right hand crushed her windpipe beyond repair.

The girl's eyes began to lose their light just as her Aura lit up a pale olive green. Kurama's own Aura lit up an orangish-gold color and seemed to… consume hers. That grin of his widened further. "That's great… just what I needed." Tossing the corpse to the ground like one would a cigarette butt, Kurama flexed his fingers until he felt something. His Aura shifted colors to that of the woman he had just slaughtered and he grinned. Her memories flooded into his mind. One of them gave the location of where the most people would be gathered at this time. Another granted the knowledge of her rather weak Semblance, but Kurama already liked what he could do with it as his claws began to spark a dangerous electric-blue.

"Do you always have to make such a mess?" Kimimaro wondered as he saw the blonde's claws sparking. "Another one?" He looked down at the intern and frowned. "I didn't think a simple intern would already have a Semblance unlocked. So, what's this one?"

"Bio-Electricity, I think." Kurama noted. "Follow me. I found out from her memories that most of the people who aren't doing work will be in the rec hall about now. There's a billiards tournament going on as we speak. Is that the level of carnage you were hoping for?" Kimimaro nodded as bony spikes began to appear on his body. Two jutted out of his shoulders and elbows, two more from his knees, more down his back that tore up the kimono and several from his chest. His tail had several spikes from base to tip, and then an overly large mace-like ball of spikes on the very end that gave him resemblance to an ankylosaur. Above his eyebrows and next to two red dots on his forehead, Kimimaro also grew bone-white horns meant to gore. Every spike was serrated and sharp, it's pure ivory color contrasting deeply with Kurama's blood-stained clothing and skin.

Without looking at the now dead woman, the two of them walked past her. Kurama, using his new memories, led Kimimaro to a large building that was as off-white as the rest of the research facility. There were a few obstacles in their way that took the form of other people, but six new corpses littered the green lawn a bright red whenever contact was made. "So, you insist on playing with your new toy instead of being practical and using one of the other ones?" Kimimaro asked, getting a wide grin from the blonde. This only caused the white-haired boy to sigh, but motioned for him to enter the building first. Needless to say, he complied very easily.

Using his Aura to strengthen his leg, Kurama kicked the steel door right off its hinges, breaking one of the billiard tables in half as it hurtled forward. Looking around at those gathered, Kurama grinned widely. Surprise, fear and anger mixed amongst the men and women within. Several members pulled out guns with a few even drawing the shifting weapons that Huntsmen were so well known for. "What fun!" Kurama noted cheerily as he rolled out of the way of automatic fire. Kicking up a billiard table to block it out, he ripped one of the table's legs off.

When he surrounded the leg with his Aura, he jumped from behind the table and slammed it over the head of one of the gun wielding guards hard enough to cause his cranium to explode. The brain matter didn't make Kurama slow down at all. Not even the shots that plowed into his shoulder would do that. Indeed, his Aura glowed a bright orange-gold as the burns from Fire Dust and laser fire healed over in moments. Picking out a new target, Kurama grabbed the pistol from the person he had just killed and smiled eerily.

With deadly accuracy, seven shots - all that was left in the clip - left the chamber and found their mark in the heads of seven of the guards. Tossing away the weapon as new burns began healing from shots he'd taken while firing his own weapon, Kurama grinned. That grin slipped away as large bones pierced through the chests of two of the guards, then five needles made of ivory hit five others. Kurama turned quickly to see Kimimaro in the doorway and growled.

"You were taking too long. Don't play with your food." The bone user reprimanded.

Kurama crossed his arms with a huff. "Whatever." He replied coolly as his Aura shimmered a marigold hue. Arms made of his Aura formed and stretched out to grab the remaining three guards by the throats, pulling them close to him. They had dropped their weapons along the way, which left them in Kurama's power completely. He placed his claw on one of their chests and tapped it lightly. "I'd really like to enjoy this, but Kimimaro says I shouldn't play with you anymore. So, even though your boss has made my life hell, it looks like you'll get a quick death." With that, he shoved his claw through the man's chest, grabbed his heart and felt its beat weakening. Squeezing his right hand, he felt the soft organ tear and collapse in his grip. The light from his eyes began to disappear the same way that first woman's had, his Aura lighting up a neon blue before being consumed by Kurama's.

Kurama pulled his claw out and let the man drop to the floor, taking delight in the fear the other two exuded. "You're afraid, right?" He asked, getting feverish nods from the others. "That's good! You know, Naruto was afraid too. He was just so fucking terrified!" Kurama lightly stroked his claw along the neck of the next guard, a woman this time. "None of them cared though. That snake reveled in it! His assistant thought it was interesting! Naruto couldn't control anything in his life and he was just so terrified of everything they did to him. So Yami and I had to step in, we had to protect him." His index claw was pressing into the flesh on the bottom of her chin hard enough to draw blood, but not enough to pierce. "First, your boss kidnaps a Faunus orphan. Second, he forces him to work the mines for fucking years. Instead of respite once Naruto learned about his gift, his ability, his blessed Semblance, do you know what happened? That fucking snake learned about it and took him from his new home! Then he wanted to experiment and see how far Naruto could heal himself! He thought that regeneration was Naruto's gift, no. I'm his Semblance, and Yami." Finally, his claw began to puncture the bottom of her chin, causing her to scream loudly even as the tip of his claw began to graze the bottom of her tongue.

"Still, he doesn't hate any living individual in the Schnee Dust Corporation. He's sweet, but naive. His torturers may be long dead, but there's no way Orochimaru did it without the go-ahead of Jacques." At this point, Kurama curled his finger around the bottom of her jaw, pulling her whole face until their eyes were mere inches apart. "You know what though? All the hatred that Naruto and Yami should have but don't, I do! I have all that and then some! There's some good news though. These sins can be redeemed, and your blood may only be a drop in the ocean that it will take, but it's one step closer!"

With that, his other claw grabbed her throat and tore it out, throwing her the floor in disgust. Turning to the last, he saw the Kimimaro already had jammed a bone dagger between his eyes. Kurama let the Aura arms fade from existence as his vision turned to the frightened researchers and interns that were still left alive. Just as he was about to take a step towards them, he felt the telltale static in his ear that meant he was about to get a radio message over the headset. "Extraction complete. Kurama and Kimimaro, head to rendezvous point Alpha, task complete." Kurama scowled and felt his right hand clench, the blood squelching between his fingers. He looked at the people he was just about to lay into and sighed. "Just five more minutes, that's all I needed…" He muttered as his Aura changed to an oak brown as he turned around. "Let's go, Kimimaro."

Kimimaro took a look at the shade of Kurama's Aura and nodded, walking out the door first. Kurama turned just before he left the building and looked at the huddled up group. "I just want you to know that I hate all of you." With that, brown spots shimmered along the floor and walls before large, steel rods materialized and shot at each of the humans. Lethal piercing, shards had them dead within moments. "Stupid Sakon, finishing the mission so fast."

"Stop whining, Kurama." Kimimaro teased the boy as they got to the gate and stepped back through it. "Alright, bring Naruto back out." Kurama nodded and crimson eyes shifted back to azure, pupils becoming round once more. The madness that Kurama exuded changed to a soothing feeling coming from Naruto. "Welcome back, Naruto."

Naruto looked down at himself, seeing all the blood Kurama had stained him in. There was a reason that he wore such a dark red color, though the holes in his kimono shirt would need to be fixed when he got back to base. His Aura changed to a cool blue as the blood began to wash itself off with the moisture from the air. "So, what happened in there?" He asked.

"I'm assuming you don't mean Kurama's usual carnage?" Naruto nodded at that. "Well, Kurama picked up a new Semblance for you. He said is was something along the lines of bio-electricity. There might be more, but you'll have to sift through the new souls in your collection." Naruto shuddered at the thought, but nodded nonetheless.

"Thank you, Kimimaro. Where are Sakon and Ukon?" He wondered idly.

"Do you even listen to debriefings, Naruto?" Kimimaro had to ask in genuine curiosity.

"Well, Yami usually listens in on those so he can know all the escape routes…" Naruto admitted. "I usually speak with him a little in the mindscape before the mission starts, but there was hardly any time when we did it this time and I was so busy helping out in the infirmary that it slipped my mind."

Kimimaro shook his head, but not in annoyance. It really was amazing just how different Naruto and Kurama were. Yami too, for that matter. "We're meeting Sakon and Ukon at rendezvous point Alpha." Naruto seemed to retreat in himself for a moment before nodding.

"Right, right. I remember now. Okay, we should probably head over there then, right?" Kimimaro nodded and with that, the two set off.

[Two hours later]

"Kimimaro, do you think they made it out alright?" Naruto asked the older boy as he looked around for any sign of the other members of their squad. The rims of his eyes shone a distinctively glassy color as he did so, enhancing his vision. "I really hope they didn't get caught by anyone."

"Who could even catch them?" Kimimaro asked. "We're well outside of Vale and we just wiped out the SDC facility. According to our scouts there's no villages or tribes out here."

"What about Grimm?" The blonde asked as the aura around his eyes disappeared and he looked at his much calmer partner. "I know that they can handle their own in a fight, but what if they came into contact with an alpha-class or worse?" Kimimaro smiled at the worried tone that Naruto showed. He was the youngest from that lab and yet… And yet he's always been the one to keep our little family together.

"Only an alpha-class? I'm a little hurt that you think the two of us can't handle a single one of those." A new voice made itself known. Naruto and Kimimaro turned to see a pair of twins with silver hair and brown eyes. They wore very similar outfits, with small variations to tell them apart. Sakon had a tan battle kimono without sleeves, the yin symbol on the hem of it and a thick, purple rope tied into a bow behind his back similar to Kimimaro. Ukon wore the same outfit except his kimono had the yang symbol and he also wore a black, long-sleeve shirt beneath his. The second difference was that they wore their long hair in opposite ways. Sakon's covered his left eye, while Ukon's covered his right. Lastly, each of them had a large, curved horn protruding from their forehead above their respective, visible eyes.

Naruto's eyes shimmered a moment before turning purple and glaring at the twins. "Well, sorry for worrying about keeping the two most knuckleheaded members of our family safe." Ukon grinned at this, licking his lips slightly.

"Well, hello there Yami. It's been some time since you've come out to Naruto's defense." Yami shook his head before the eyes returned back to cerulean, causing the twins to chuckle. "So, how did you two do on your mission?"

"Well, Kurama had fun." Kimimaro stated calmly, getting grins from the twins. When they looked at Naruto, the older teens saw he was looking at his hands as sparks danced between his fingers and smiling lightly. As they watched, he caused a small bolt to form between his index fingers and sustain itself for a few moments. "And apparently Naruto is going to as well."

"Huh? Did you say something, Kimimaro?" Naruto asked, turning his new Semblance off. He was a bit confused as the other three either smirked or chuckled, then looked at Sakon and noticed something wrapped up and tied to his back. "What's that? Is that what the mission was for?" Sakon grinned and nodded. "What is it?"

He pulled it from his back and knelt down, laying the object on the floor, then began to unroll it. The quartet was then presented with a red-bladed sword of all things, kept in a black scabbard. "This is Wilt and Blush, an experimental weapon that the SDC was working on. The blade is made of some strange material that lets it absorb energy and then use it to fuel Spells. Its Adam's new weapon." Ukon explained to the two.

"That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed as he looked at it. "He'll be really happy that we got it for him!" The blonde then looked up at the twins and his eyes seemed to get a little bigger as the excitement of the situation affected him. "Can I carry it on the way back? I promise I won't break it!" Kimimaro and the twins looked at the boy and collectively sighed before Sakon nodded. It was strange for Naruto to act so childish, unless one of those two was the subject of a conversation. Still, they were just as grateful as Naruto to them.

Naruto quickly rolled it up and bound it up before throwing it over his shoulder with a grin. "Let's head back to base then!" He received a nod from the other three as they began their trek back to their base outside Vale.

[White Fang Base, Somewhere Outside Vale]

"We're back!" The voice reverberated through a large building that was mostly quiet. Several dozen tables were set up in the room that Naruto, Kimimaro and the twins had arrived in, with very few Faunus sitting at them, though those who were present looked up to see the quartet. A grinning blonde leading three taller boys into the building with something strapped to his back caused several of them to chuckle. At the voice, a door that was connected to the large dining hall opened and out stepped a man that caused Naruto's eyes to light up even more. "Nii-san! Look what I got!" With that, Naruto zipped across the room faster than the others could keep track of.

The man had spiked back crimson hair with two small, black horns curving back with them and wore a white mask that covered his eyes with only four slits to allow him to see and red designs on it. He also wore a red shirt beneath a black, collared coat that only had the middle button done and a matching pair of pants. His entire outfit was in pristine condition and looked to be of high quality cloth. As the man saw the blonde appear, he couldn't help but smile a bit. "And just what is it that you have there?"

Naruto grinned triumphantly as he unwrapped the cloth and handed the experimental weapon to the man, who inspected the blade. "Sakon let me carry it on the way back. I wanted to be the one to give it to you!" The redhead looked at it with a bit of surprise until Naruto's next words. "Happy birthday, nii-san!"

"Was it Blake that set you up to this?" Adam asked with a chuckle and a shake of his head.

"She was part of it." Naruto responded with a cryptic smile. "Oh! Where is nee-chan?" Naruto asked. Adam sheathed the weapon and thought for a moment.

"Blake is in the library, as usual." He responded easily. "I'm not sure what she's up to, but she insists that I not disturb whatever it is she's doing." The blonde nodded and zipped off once more. Adam noted sparks trailing him and smirked. It seemed that Kurama had picked up a new toy… wherever they had obtained this weapon. Probably something to do with the Schnee family. Blake does have a distaste for harming those she thinks are innocent.

Leaving Wilt and Blush with Adam, Naruto made his way out of the dining hall. He couldn't really put in the report to Adam given Kurama had been the one to do the mission and not him, so the twins and Kimimaro would take care of that. "I can tell you that it was certainly fun!" The blonde ignored Kurama's slightly deranged voice as he made his way through the base until he found a set of large double doors and opened them.

The new room he found himself in was large, with a high ceiling and dozens of bookshelves that stretched high. Each one was filled with all sorts of books that were donated, bought by members of the White Fang or their sympathizers. Well, also the ones that were found by members when they went on missions. Naruto already knew where he'd find Blake, so he quickly and quietly made his way to the back of the library, where eight tables were set up. She was the only person there.

Blake Belladonna had ivory skin with wavy, black hair that came to her waist and a pair of amber eyes. Atop her head twitched two cat ears, telling the blonde she already heard his entry. Unlike his team, Blake wore a very Velian style of clothing. She had a white shirt beneath a black, sleeveless coat that was buttoned in the middle and exposed her midsection, white shorts, tights that were colored in a gradient from black to purple as it got closer to her black boots. She looked up from her book, The Man with Two Souls, and smiled slightly as Naruto came into her sight. It was softer than the smirk that Adam wore upon seeing the blonde return, but neither of the two could compare to the enormous grin that the younger boy wore when he greeted them.

"Nee-chan!" Before the cat-eared girl could blink, Naruto had already glomped her, snuggling into her body. She chuckled and patted his head a bit as she shut the book and set it down. "I gave nii-san his present just like you told me to!" Blake nodded, though the smile she wore had become a little strained.

"Did you have any trouble?" She asked, worry evident in her voice.

"Nope! Sakon and Ukon got it really easily while Kimimaro and Kurama distracted the guards. Yami didn't have to do anything and neither did I. Kurama had fun though, if what he told me is true." Blake nodded and smiled once more. No one at that base was innocent, they worked for the Schnee Dust Company and were very high ranking at that. No one there was innocent… they just couldn't be.

"Did he like it?" Blake asked with only a slight blush in her cheeks. She smiled when Naruto nodded and stroked the blonde's spikes idly, like one might a dog - or a fox. "Did you get anything new?"

"There weren't really any books there besides medical stuff and I know you aren't interested in that." Naruto told her. "Kurama got a new toy though." Holding up his hand, Naruto showed sparks dancing along it to Blake. "It's something like bio-electricity manipulation. Basically, it lets us control the electric energy inside my body. I think it'll probably be useful in my training."

Blake nodded. It would definitely be useful for his training. Still, I wish that he didn't have to grow up so fast… She couldn't help but think. It's already been two years since that night…

[Schnee Dust Corporation Research Facility "Yamato" - Two Years Ago]

Explosions rocked the Yamato Research Facility deep into the night. It was among the first signs that something was happening that the scientists and guards were not prepared for. A thirteen year old Blake watched as older members of the White Fang led the assault on the Velian base and shook. It wasn't her fault! It was all so terrifying to watch as humans and Faunus alike lost their lives before her cat-like eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Adam. "Blake, you know what our spies found in their. We can't let it go on."

Sighing, she nodded and stood from her crouched position. "Come on, let's go in while they're defending." She told him. As one, the partners stealthily and quickly made their way around the battlefield with weapons drawn. They stuck to the roofs of the buildings and stayed in the shadows, but even then they couldn't escape the notice of a few guards.

"These terrorists are getting child soldiers now? You see this?" One of them stated in disgust as the pair heard two swords being drawn and a rifle's lever being cocked. "Are you going to come quietly or do we need to have the blood of children on our hands?" Blake and Adam turned to see three guards wearing heavy armor and helmets. The Schnee certainly kept their employees well equipped.

"The only one bleeding will be you." Adam stated with a snarl as he took a stance with his sword. "Blake, I've got these two, you take care of the guy in the back." The girl nodded and pumped Aura through her body. In a burst of speed, she rushed past the two with blades and appeared beside the one with the rifle. Based on the fact he didn't react until she had Gambol Shroud pointed to his head, she knew he still had a locked Aura. That explained why they had such heavy-looking armor. With a sick stomach, the girl pulled her trigger and shuddered as blood from his face sprayed onto her hand because of how close to him she was. When he hit the ground, she turned to look at Adam and noted that one of the other two was already dead and the other was being stabbed through the stomach as she watched. She still never understood how Adam could take lives so easily.

"Blake, come on." His voice shook the girl from her thoughts and she nodded, catching up to the bull Faunus. When the two got to the center of the facility, Adam stopped her. Looking down, they noted that one of the buildings had wide doors. "In there, it has to be. It's the center of the base, so there's no way that he wouldn't keep them all there."

The duo jumped to the floor and walked into the large building. Immediately, they noted that it smelt sterile and deeply of chemicals. They also noticed all the lab equipment and cages. Oh, Dust help me… Blake noticed that the cages didn't have beasts in them, but Faunus. They were right… Faunus experimentation…

Her top set of ears twitched as she heard muttering and whimpering. Everyone in the room looked dead or their body was so horrifying that they should be, but among them, there was one living. A blonde who looked only two years younger than her. She slowly approached him, but he didn't seem to notice her since his back was turned to the room. Head between his legs, the boy shook with sobs and held himself tightly. "No, no, it's too dangerous to try, Kurama." A quiet, logical voice that didn't match up to the boy's actions stated. "We can't play it safe anymore, Yami! He's going to become even worse than he is right now if we don't escape! He'll live, but what sort of life is this?" The tone of the boy's voice changed to something higher and… it almost sounded like the voice those mad war veterans back in Menagerie. "I don't want to be here anymore… I want kaa-chan and tou-chan…" The sobbing continued as a third time he spoke, this time it was soft and pleading. "I don't want to be here either, Naruto!" The one called Yami spoke again, if Blake was right. "I want nothing more than to leave, but we need to be careful about how we do this or we'll end up in Block 12!" The crying came back again, this time it was loud enough that Blake couldn't help but to gasp and place a hand over her mouth, fighting back her own tears.

Adam finally made his way to where Blake was and saw the sobbing boy. "Blake, get as many prisoners as you can to safety. I'm going to find the man responsible for this and kill him. Dr. Orochimaru won't hurt anyone else if I have anything to say about it." Blake nodded firmly and crouched next to the too small cage that the boy was kept in.

"Hello? My name is Blake and I'm here to get you out of here. Would you like to go somewhere safe?" She asked as she opened the cage door and held out a hand for the boy. Azure eyes full of fear and hope looked at her amber orbs and nodded rapidly. "What's your name?"

"I… I'm Naruto…" With that, he jumped out and wrapped his arms around the girl's neck tightly, crying into her shoulder deeply. Blake found herself holding him just as tight and crying with him. She was beginning to understand why Adam was able to kill so easily after all.

[White Fang Base Infirmary, Present Day]

Naruto had spent a little bit of time with Blake before leaving to the infirmary. She had told him about a fight that had broken out between two members while he had been gone. As soon as he entered, he saw them and sighed. "Come on, you two, do we have to do this every time I go on a mission?" He asked in exasperation. There wasn't any malice, only disappointment.

The two he spoke of sat on neighboring beds and had copious amounts of bruising, cuts and bandages covering their bodies. The first was a girl with long, red hair and a cap on top. Brown eyes showed a mixture of distaste for the person next to her and shame. The person next to her was a woman with a pineapple-styled ponytail of violet hair and pupilless brown eyes full of defiance. She was much more developed than the redhead and grinned, showcasing a pair of retractable fangs that lay in the top of her mouth. "Tayuya, Anko, don't you two get tired of this?"

"Don't blame me, it's that bitch's fault!" Tayuya exclaimed while pointing an accusatory finger at the woman. "Every time you leave, she doesn't have anyone to entertain her, as she says, and gets too handsy! I'm not gonna sit there and let her molest me when I can fight back, you know!"

Anko licked her lips. "What can I say? I just can't help myself when it comes to you Uzumaki~! Your blood tastes the best!" Tayuya shivered.

"Can you get this over with so I can get out of here?" The redhead all but begged. Naruto sighed but nodded. Approaching the girl, he allowed his Aura to surround his hands and placed them over her body. His Aura glowed a very dark red and energy from Tayuya began to move from her body, to the aura around his hands. As it did so, the bruises and cuts that littered Tayuya disappeared and then reappeared in the exact same places on Naruto's own body. His eyes strained a moment before his regeneration kicked in and took care of the wounds in less than a moment. "I promise I'll make it up to you, Naruto." Tayuya conceded as she grabbed her flute from the bedside table and played a tune. As she did, her form shimmered and she disappeared completely.

Naruto took a deep breath and then turned to Anko. "Why do you have to pick on Tayuya?" He asked.

"Well, she's easy too freak out, that's why!" Anko retorted, her previous expression replaced by one of mischief. "I get so bored and she's the easiest to antagonize into a fight that's actually challenging. Plus, I'm helping you get better with your Semblance! You should be thanking me!" Anko wore a triumphant grin at her logic, causing the younger Faunus to sigh again.

"Just let me heal you and we can go, okay? I owe Tayuya that much of a head start, I think." Anko grinned as Naruto coated his hands in that same Aura, and only blushed a little bit when Anko grabbed his hands and forced them to touch her impressive bust. "You're impossible sometimes…" He muttered while looking away.

"Still just helping you!" She replied with an easy grin. "Just you watch, I'll make you into a casanova that all the ladies want and then you'll be able to show them a great time. And I'll be able to take all the credit for that, and the cat won't get to say anything!" Anko began laughing a bit madly at that as Naruto took her wounds and let them heal as he had done to Tayuya. He pulled back and shook his head.

"I don't get why you always have to instigate with everyone here." Naruto mentioned but got no answer. "And no fighting inside the infirmary." Without even looking at Anko, he had known she'd brought out her daggers. When he looked back at her and saw her pout, he allowed a small smile to form on his lips. "We'll go outside. You've already had your spar though, so instead you can help me with something." Anko tilted her head in confusion. "We're getting low on medicine, so Dr. Nohara wanted me to go hunting for some things in one of the nearby villages that was abandoned."

"Didn't you just get back from a mission?" Anko asked curiously. "I thought that members are only allowed one mission a day except in emergencies?"

"Kurama just got back from a mission." Naruto corrected her with a mischievous smile. "Plus, the longer it takes to get these supplies, the higher chance of someone dying. I can't exactly use my Semblance to heal everyone all the time. Especially since I can't be here all the time. Dr. Nohara and I agreed that we need those medical supplies as quickly as possible just in case something goes wrong."

"So, is anyone else going with us?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Isaribi, Guren and Yuukimaru are coming as well." He replied, watching as Anko's grin widened even further. "Please don't agitate Guren. The village we're going to is still infested with Grimm. We need to be serious." Anko pouted and sighed overdramatically.

"You never let me have fun, Naru! It's not fair!" Naruto ignored her and began walking out the infirmary, forcing her to follow after him. "What about on our way back here?" The blonde looked back at her and shrugged. That was all Anko needed to regain that mischievous glint in her eyes. "I'll be good then!"

[Fifteen minutes later, Road to Saunus Village]

Naruto was leading the group of five away from the White Fang base, which could still be seen in the distance behind them. Anko walked next to him, a grin on her face. Behind and to his other side was Isaribi. She had purple hair that came down to her shoulders, bound in two hair bands on either side, black eyes and looked to be just as young as Naruto. She wore a light purple gown without sleeves and a yellow scarf around her neck. Instead of a weapon, she had a belt around her waist that had multiple pouches for dust.

Beside Isaribi stood Guren and Yuukimaru. Guren was a woman, older than Anko, with a purple ponytail that looked similar to Anko's, as well as long bangs that framed her pale face. Her eyes were darker than obsidian and her lips shone like fresh blood. She wore a green kimono with a large, yellow flower emblem on her right leg that had one short, and one long sleeve. Beneath that she wore a red shirt and shorts, as well as knee-high, heeled boots.

Yuukimaru looked older than Naruto and Isaribi, probably about the same age as Blake and Kimimaro. He had long, pale green hair and violet eyes. He was wearing a kimono that was jade on the inside and grey on the outside, blue pants and bandages down to his ankles.

"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Anko asked, being the only one that had yet to be debriefed on their mission. "Oh! And how many Grimm are we talking about? And how strong are they?"

"Well, we're going to be scavenging through the hospital to find anything that could be useful. Medicine, equipment, fuel, food, things like that. Naruto knows the things that could be useful more than us since he's being trained by Dr. Nohara, so just grab things you think might be and he'll decide what we take." Isaribi explained the first question.

"As for the Grimm: there are enough to sate even you, though not enough to sate Kurama." Guren continued.

"And we know that there are at least a few alpha-class making nests in Saunus." Yuukimaru finished up.

Anko's grin only widened further. "It shouldn't be more than a two hour walk to get there." He explained next, which immediately caused that grin to turn into a grimace. "Don't be so down, Anko. You're the one that wanted to get into the fight with Tayuya, remember?" He chuckled at that, causing the woman to cross her arms under her impressive bust and turn her nose up in an act of feigned indignation.