The trip to the Land of Wave started out the way Naruto expected; Sakura was eerily quiet, Sasuke kept an eye out for an opponent to test his skills on, Kakashi kept his nose in his book, and Tazuna kept his gaze forward as he continued to drink. Naruto was grateful for the silence, but he was praying that something would happen soon. He wanted to kill something, no… that was not wholly accurate. He needed to kill something. While Naruto didn't necessarily take pleasure in the act of snuffing out the flames of someone's life, as the other Arrancar and many of the Espada did, it was necessary to do so in order to keep his bloodlust under control.

'I should have killed Mizuki myself,' He lamented, his face twisting into a grimace of poorly hidden irritation. 'But Loly has been on edge for the longest.'

"Such is the life of one who leads." A feminine voice he hadn't heard since his return from Hueco Mundo noted sagely. "You're responsible for those under you, and that now includes that serpentess, Anko."

Naruto nodded. When they reached a point that they could stop, he resolved himself to use a Garganta in order to send a blood clone over to Anko. From what Cirucci-chan reported, she was still asleep. Not that he blamed her; the Cursed Seal of Heaven, if removed by someone that wasn't the creator, could kill the one who was marked. It was only because of his mastery over blood that he was able to allow her to live after removing the foul seal. Oddly enough, it held a great portion of the Sannin's chakra as well as a part of his very consciousness, which explains why the multiple serpents expelled from the older woman's body coalesced into a singular being. It was a good thing Naruto vaporized it. With a sigh, he turned his gaze back to the trail.

The first thing to arrest his attention was a puddle off to the left, roughly four meters away from the group. It was bizarre, Naruto thought, as it hadn't rained in some time. Which meant that there was a chance of it being a trap. He briefly entertained the notion of drawing his Zanpakutō. It wouldn't be necessary. After a rather quick usage of the Pesquisa technique, he discerned that the two beings that were hiding in the puddle were of the chunin rank; nothing that would warrant the usage of his Zanpakutō. He heaved another sigh. At this rate, he would have to go out of his way to find someone that was capable of getting his blood up.

Casting a sidelong glance to his comrades and client, he noted that the other genin had not noticed the puddle. Tazuna was rather unaware at the moment, and Kakashi cast an uninterested gaze at the hiding place. As they walked past, nothing happened. It was coming. A few more steps and…

Just as he thought, there was the sound of water being displaced, and the source of it were two men, each with a clawed metal gauntlet on their right and left arms respectively. Each wore the hitai-ate of Kirigakure with a single horn on it, while dark grey gas-masks masqueraded the lower half of their respective faces. One charged while the other somersaulted over Kakashi. Within mere seconds, the Konoha jonin was trapped in what looked to be shuriken-chains that came from the gauntlets. Everyone turned in surprise, though Sasuke admittedly hid it rather well.

"Bala."

There was a sudden explosion of gore which ended in blood raining onto the two corpses. All eyes went to the redhead of Team Seven. His right hand was out of his pocket and balled into a fist that was aimed at Kakashi. A scarlet ring of what could only be described as electricity was still clinging to the air around his fist, a look of disinterest in his eyes.

Sakura looked horrified, while Sasuke's eyes darkened with lust. Kakashi's lone eye went wide, and for the first time in a long time he thanked Kami-sama above for the fact that he chose not to underestimate the technique his student used during the bell test. Tazuna looked as though he would be sick. The dispassionate redhead easily slid his hand back into his pocket and turned his back on the scene, his bloodlust barely even temporarily sated. Turning his crimson gaze to the sky, the Crimson Fox of Konoha continued to walk, not even remotely caring that he was the only one that decided to move.

Cirucci made her way into Naruto-sama's apartment with his freshly washed linens in hand and the intent on perhaps shaming herself now that she could get away with it. Wearing not but an apron, she sauntered easily to her master's bedroom and started the process of making his bed. He was not a sloppy man, but sometimes forgot that his sheets required washing as much as his clothes did. First the fitted sheet, then the blanket. She never understood while the Gemelo Primero Espada didn't use the secondary sheet, but far be it from her to question his wisdom.

After making sure the blanket was free from wrinkles and setting his freshly laundered pillow in the matching pillowcase, she took a deep breath to fully enjoy the lavender scent of the washing liquid and the rather subtle jasmine scent that was all her master's. It was everywhere in his bedroom and that only made it that much sweeter. Holding her composure for a few minutes more, she let out a satisfied exhale.

Leaping into the air, the soon-to-be Jōnin Commander flopped onto her master's bed and started happily rolling back and forth while cradling his pillow to her nose, breathing in the scent as though it were necessary for her to survive. Her chants of 'Naruto-sama's pillow!' could easily be heard from a mile away despite being muffled by the pillow, but none seemed to bother listening. After a few moments, she regained her composure before fixing up the bed again, then left to get the rest of his laundry. She could count the number of times he insisted she not worry herself with his laundry, but she ignored him every single time. Despite personally despising the feeling, it gave her the feeling of being her master's housewife. While she knew that wasn't what he wanted, as he made it abundantly clear that his ideal mate would be able to keep up with him on the battlefield, she still rather enjoyed the farce of domesticity while she had the time. A guilty pleasure to be sure, but it was all hers.

When she returned to his bedroom with the basket of neatly folded clothing and laid out white jackets and hakama, she proceeded to put away the clothes, purposefully leaving aside a single jacket that still held the lingering scent of jasmine. Once her task was complete, she picked up the lone jacket and found herself rolling around on the bed once more, enjoying the moment. Her chant changed, becoming 'Naruto-sama's jacket!' as she continued to roll around on the bed. The feeling of another presence made her freeze.

"Cirucci-chan," the voice that made her heart race caressed her sense of hearing, though it sounded tired. "What are you doing?"

Instantly, the older woman was sitting on her knees, poking her forefingers together like a shy pre-genin girl. An attractive blush colored her fair cheeks, the purple haired Arrancar refusing to meet her master's gaze. It would've been one thing if Loly or Menoly caught her. Her luck was not on her side, however, since it was the owner of this particular apartment.

"Were you having fun?" he asked, his brow raised in slight amusement.

The woman nodded.

The phantom of a grin made his uninterested features seem kinder. "Then please, proceed."

Her eyes widened and a bright smile made her extremely attractive in Naruto's eyes. He gave a chuckle as she giggled and continued to roll around in his bed. "Please watch me embarrass myself more, Naruto-sama!"

He nodded, a full blown half-smile gracing her features. "As you wish,"

Upon seeing an actual smile on his glorious face, she couldn't help but want to cry as she made a noise of commingled excitement and joy, while enjoying her shameless act beneath the gaze of her master.

Anko bolted upright in her bed, her chest heaving as she drank in great lungfuls of air. She couldn't believe what she just dreamt about. Or was it a memory? Was there a way to tell the difference between a dream and a memory?

Regardless, the events that played out during her dream were far too realistic to be just that. The first thing worth pondering was the fact that Orochimaru didn't abandon her; she abandoned him. This was due to the fact that she was a willing recipient of the prototype of his Cursed Seal of Heaven, one of ten, and she was the only one that survived the procedure. She was unwilling to use it, from what she could remember and wanted a way out. This was what prompted the man she trusted above all others to wipe her memories and leave. The rest of the information her brain tried to sort through was less than a burst of pictures and sounds. For every sound, there was a memory she viewed like a movie, but they seldom made sense.

Screams of agony, the rattling of bars, and the clinking of chains. These sounds were paired with the visions of her body drenched in blood as she held a kunai that was crimson with another's blood, the feeling of a sick smile on her lips.

There was a movement out of the corner of her eye and she drew a kunai, only to watch as it was slapped from her hands and embedded forcefully into the wall behind her. Anko turned her confused gaze to the man that seemed to have all of the answers to her questions, the redhead that was sitting beside her bed with a glass of water in his hand. At the sight of it, she fully realized that her mouth was drier than the deserts of Sunagakure. She took it when she offered it, and drained it in a matter of seconds. His brow quirked with mirth as he left the room to fetch something else.

Not even a moment passed before something mouth watering caressed her olfactory sense. Her young master returned to the bedroom with a tray of still hot food; omu-rice with succulent cutlets of pork, a bowl of sweet bean soup, and a tray of dango had her drooling, her stomach giving its own loud cheer. He gave her a humorless chuckle before setting the tray before her. She ate with gusto, savoring each and every bit of the tasty morsels before her. If she could, she would marry the redhead that watched her with a look of satisfaction.

The being that Anko decided to affectionately refer to as her 'Gaki-sama' sipped his own water, seemingly content with the world at the moment. His face was bare of any and all emotion, as though he were one of those Foundation fuckers that she spotted watching the Sandaime every now and again. While she was sure that her Kage was aware of them, it didn't put her at ease. Still, she knew he possessed emotions, or at the very least was very intimate with anger. She slowed her consumption of the heavenly food before her as her gaze went to the red-eyed genin to her left.

"Ne, Gaki-sama, what made you decide to help me?" she asked boldly.

Again, his brow quirked, a gesture that she was starting to believe meant he was amused. "Gaki-sama? That's a new one."

Anko had the good graces to blush as he continued.

"There's no need to refer to me with such an honorific. I tell the others that all the time, but that wasn't what you asked. Why did I help you?" He paused and hummed as if to ponder this, as if he wasn't entirely sure himself. "We are kindred, belike two eyes that gaze upon the other."

"I…" She knew that they were kindred long before their initial meeting, so she didn't really feel the need to continue her train of thought.

He continued as though she hadn't spoken, his eyes still on the ceiling. "I was rendered comatose; you had your memories erased. You were once a student of Orochimaru; the kyuubi is sealed within me. We are both orphans that once craved attention. You have a group of three that you would die to protect, as do I. Though I suppose my group has gained an extra member in you, nevertheless, it is as I've said. We are kindred."

She said nothing, emotion tightening her throat. Her meal forgotten, she set the tray atop her bedside table and rose. Wobbly at first, he quickly regained her balance. The Tokujo, with her unique shit-eating grin on her face, made her way from her bedroom. She returned with a kit after a moment. One thing that very few people knew about Anko was her main hobby was conducting tea ceremonies, and by Kami-sama above, this was going to be her best one yet.

"Allow me to make some tea for you, Gaki-sama." her smile brightened monumentally when he looked at her and nodded.

'The things I do for my people.'

Loly was done with the day.

She wanted nothing more than to strangle the life out of the blonde bitch that dared think they were even close to each other's levels. With Menoly at her side, she made her way home, or more accurately, to Naruto-sama's apartment. He had already told them of the mission he was on, but that didn't lessen the worry that either Arrancar felt. Sure, he was damn near indestructible, but there were still people strong enough to harm him. Granted, he wouldn't just let them get away with it, but the fact remained. A gentle hand rested on her shoulder, and she turned to Menoly. The other Fraccion was watching her with a look of understanding and friendly smile. After all the shit she personally but the dirty blonde through, she was always there at Loly's side. Even after kicking the absolute shit out of her for not going along with the plan in regards to Orihime, Menoly was there with her and at the moment, she felt like shit.

"Sorry,"

Menoly froze, her look of understanding changing from understanding to shock. "What?"

Loly grit her teeth. "I said I'm sorry. You know, for hitting and bullying you and stuff."

The blonde Arrancar couldn't help but think that her best friend was being utterly adorable, and it was all she could do to not squeal and hug her. So instead, she opted for the 'Let's piss Loly off.' option. Her surprise melted into a look of smug satisfaction.

"You're sorry, huh?" Menoly teased, the smug smile was surely more than enough to raise the other girl's blood pressure. "Say that again so I can write down the exact time you said it."

"Fuck off!" was Loly's very angry and sophisticated retort.

The boat ride that made up the final portion of the journey to the Land of Wave was silent, and Naruto found his irritation rising too much to be thankful for the aforementioned silence. They continued to stare at him, as though he were in the wrong for killing the Demon Brothers. Would it have been better if he killed another member of Team Seven or the client? His irritation continued mounting when he noticed the look of yearning in the dark eyes of the other male genin. Kakashi merely eyed his sensei's son with the look of something fathomless.

"Naruto?" he started in his usual lazy drawl, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "What jutsu was that?"

He gave the man a sidelong glance before turning his eyes back to the now ominous sky. "It is an Uzumaki clan ability which is called Bala, which translates to Hollow Bullet."

Sasuke scoffed. "You belong to a clan? Doubtful."

"The Uchiha and their so-called ultimate dojutsu were assassinated in a single night by one man." Naruto spoke, his crimson eyes closed as he enlightened his teammate. "The Uzumaki were wiped out by the joint effort of Kumogakure and Iwagakure, and that took several days."

Sasuke tensed visibly, and he appeared to be struggling to hold himself back from lashing out at the redhead that sat before him. Sakura prepared to open her mouth in order to come to the aid of her crush.

"Do you know any other clan abilities?" asked Kakashi, in an effort to diffuse the situation, though he couldn't ever remember Kushina doing such a technique.

He nodded. "As do Loly, Menoly, and Cirucci."

His tone declared the conversation over, so Kakashi dropped it. Roughly an hour later, the group was back on dry land and continued their slow trek into the country proper. The silence was still in place. Naruto could feel the familiar sensation of a memory tugging on his consciousness, but wondered if he was in a decent place for a stroll down memory lane. Was this memory that important for him to relive? He doubted that anyone they would run into would be strong enough to even make him feel the dying vestiges of discomfort known as pain; not that he was arrogant, but it was the truth. He also doubted the memory would make him a better Arrancar at the moment, so he just enjoyed the walk. At least, until Kakashi shouted.

"Get down!"

With the exception of the redhead, Team Seven and Tazuna hit the ground hard. When he turned his head, there was a massive blade already at his neck. The weapon was airborne, a flying guillotine that promised a smooth decapitation for the poor soul that was hit by it. Naruto merely held a hand up and caught the blade. Those on the floor were shocked, but none more so than the owner of such a magnificent blade.

It was a large broadsword, tall as a full grown human male and shaped a butcher's knife. It had two cut outs; a full circle closer to the top of the weapon, and semi-circle nearer to the handle. A fine weapon indeed, and as the young Espada inspected it, he couldn't help but develop a small measure of respect for the owner of this guillotine.

A man, tall and shirtless with the muscular build of a swordsman that wielded a great blade, landed mere feet away from the group of Konoha-Nin. Bandages were worn as a mask to hide the lower half of his face, not unlike Kakashi-sensei's cloth variant. The man's eyes danced with what looked to be excitement as he stared at Naruto, and took note of how easily he held the blade in his hand.

"I believe this is yours." the redhead said coolly. "Perhaps you dropped it."

Zabuza merely chuckled at the lad's phrasing before nodding slightly. "You could say that."

Kakashi was in front of Naruto at once, the white haired man seemingly ready to fight to protect his charges and client. It wasn't until the Demon of the Hidden Mist tore his gaze from the brat who still held his weapon as though it weighed little less than a senbon.

"Ah, Kakashi of the Sharingan." the man breathed with a smile in his voice. "This day only seems to get better and better."

With the tea ceremony concluded and the rather delicious tea tucked warmly in their bellies, master and subordinate could only enjoy the feel of companionship. Anko looked to the genin that was staring off into space. Seconds later, he pulled a scroll out of somewhere she couldn't begin to fathom and began scribbling furiously. It looked to be a detailed account of the instructions and the theory of a particular jutsu. From what she could tell from her angle, it relied on her usage of the summoning technique and was reserved for those of the snake clan. Excitement and curiosity came together within her, commingling powerfully to make a new feeling she didn't have a name for.

Once that one was finished, he rolled it up and started on another scroll. Once again, it held the theory and instructions to perform such a technique. This went on for roughly five more scrolls before he finally set down his pen and looked to her.

"Anko Mitarashi," he started, his voice as cool as usual. "We begin training at month's end, when my original returns from his C-Ranked mission. Until then, you will read and memorize the scrolls I have prepared for you. I will expect you to have memorized the required hand seals and the necessary amount of chakra. Do you understand?"

Had he been anyone else, she would have slit his throat for speaking to her thusly. "Yes, Gaki-sama."

"That's not going to get old anytime soon." he commented with a raised brow. "Do you have any questions?"

Anko seemed to ponder the question for a moment before deciding to go with the easiest of the questions running through her head. "Can I tell my friends, at least Kurenai-chan, about what you did for me?"

He didn't care. "Sure. Anything else?"

Of course there was something else; she had hundreds of questions clogging her mind. For now, however, she merely shook her head. With a nod, he left her to rest. Flicking his hand at the thin air, Anko couldn't help but gape at the literal tear in the very fabric of reality that spawned, a gaping maw of absolute darkness. Her master walked easily into the black void before it closed. It stunned her silent, something that was not an easy feat. After a moment of staring at where he once stood, she whistled appreciatively.

"He is so going to teach me how to do that." she commented to no one in particular as she gathered the group of scrolls that he wrote out for her, and began to read.

"Run!"

From his place trapped within the water prison, Kakashi tried to call out to his genin while trying to keep the water from pouring into his lungs. At this point, it was only his chakra that was keeping him from suffocating. That didn't mean he was any closer to escaping, and he was not a walking chakra battery like a certain redhead that looked bored at the current moment. Meanwhile, Sakura looked worried and Sasuke looked as though he was trying to come up with a plan.

Naruto sighed and moved forward, the water clones that stood before the Missing-Nin all moving at the same sedate pace as the younger male. Sakura was shouting warnings and insults, all while Sasuke let out a foul curse as he drew his kunai. The Espada paid them little heed and he took his right hand from his pocket.

"Bala."

The clones exploded in flashes of crimson as the boy continued forward. Sakura's words were halted as he watched with awe, while Sasuke suddenly found his shorts rather uncomfortable at the moment. He shifted inconspicuously as Tazuna watched with the same awe as the pinkette. It seemed as though they had forgotten about the young Uzumaki's Hollow Bullet.

Zabuza's eyes widened fractionally, completely thrown off by what he just witnessed. With another set of one-handed seals, four more water clones rose from the water he stood atop. Naruto merely continued to walk towards the original. Once again, he fired an orb of compressed spiritual energy. This time, Kakashi was watching with his Sharingan. The man was knocked for six when he watched the attack move directly to the center, before splitting into four attacks. The clones once again exploded, easily dispatched by the single attack. Unsure of how long his sensei could remain alive by channeling his chakra to his lungs, Naruto decided that it was for the best that he ended this farce.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto." he spoke as he drew his Zanpakutō; a daito whose black blade measured roughly sixty centimeters. "Gemelo Primero Espada, the second of the two of us that hold the title of Primero Espada. Remember my name, Demon of the Hidden Mist, for it shall be the last one you hear."

Without further preamble, he was gone. Zabuza, in a move that was caused by his instincts and reflexes that were honed by hundreds of battles, swung his sword behind him. Whether it was due to luck or some other deciding factor, he bisected the boy with the black blade. Blood sprayed into the air as his body fell, only to loose a foul curse as another redhead appeared by his extended hand and swung in an upward arc. Zabuza parried the blade and decapitated him, grinning at the girl's scream. He hissed in pain, however, when the boy that was supposed to be dead cut deeply into his flank. His blood gushed from the attack, but he still held the Konoha-Nin sphere of water.

"Zorro Carmesí Nishiki: Benihikō." Massive black spikes rained on the former Kiri-Nin, forcing him to release his hold on the jutsu in order to dodge.

The older man was already forming hand seals, but Naruto was already in his face, in the middle of another upward slash. Zabuza substituted with a water clone that was seemingly waiting for this specific moment. The clone melted into its original element as, in Naruto's left hand, a light appeared. A glowing crimson and onyx javelin of pure energy formed.

"Luz de la Luna." Naruto tossed the javelin, but Zabuza dodged at the last moment.

The technique continued to fly over the water. Within moments a massive explosion shook the very ground they stood on. The Demon of the Hidden Mist looked terrified, but in his terror was also the excitement that came with a battle to the death. Racing through his hand seals so fast that even Kakashi had to focus his Sharingan, Zabuza held his hands in a specified way.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet." The water they stood on began to churn violently as it rose and formed a massive dragon with glowing yellow eyes.

Though Naruto looked unimpressed, it was quite the opposite. "A fantastic technique."

Another Luz de la Luna formed in his hand and he tossed it without care into the creature's mouth. It exploded, the water raining down on them with the density of the coalesced chakra and spiritual energy. Zabuza was panting as yet another crimson javelin formed in the boy's empty hand. Instead of throwing it as the other man had expected, Naruto was already slashing it across the taller man's chest. A swift kick, which was followed by a sickening crunch, sent Zabuza crashing into a tree. Naruto tossed the javelin, but the man dodged despite the liquid agony flowing through his veins at the moment. Rather than explode, the energy seemed to be so condensed that it pierced through the tree before fading as opposed to destroying whatever it hit.

Two senbon struck the man in the side of his neck before a masked-nin appeared beside him and vanished. Annoyed, Naruto sheathed his Zanpakutō and turned back to his dumbstricken team and client. Two things occured to Naruto just then. Firstly, there was going to be a multitude of questions. Secondly, he was going to have a lot of explaining to do.