Hello again, readers. I apologize for the lengthy break between chapters. And since it's been seven months since the last update I'll post a summary of the previous chapters here:

In the prologue, Sandaime and Jiraiya watched the Kyuubi's imprisonment. Sandaime took in the newly made jinchuriki and sent Jiraiya to find and bring back Tsunade to become Godaime Hokage. Sandaime also ordered Jiraiya to train Kakashi to eventually take over as Rokudaime Hokage. Sarutobi thwarted an assasination attempt on Naruto and decreed that no one was to speak of Naruto's burden. Tsunade returns and becomes Godaime Hokage.

Chapter One takes place twelve years after the prologue on the day of the Academy Graduation Test. Naruto's makeshift family of Sandaime (and his children), Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kakashi has split for political reasons, leaving Naruto somewhat embittered at the perceived abandonment. He is a pariah among the village, with most villagers avoiding him out of fear of the Sandaime's considerable wrath. Naruto spends most of his time alone training as the Sandaime is frequently out on trips.

Naruto passes the Test easily but Sasuke is still awarded the top Graduate spot at the Graduation ceremony later that day. Skipping the festivities, he heads home to find Sarutobi returned. Sarutobi gives him a Bo staff as a present for graduating and becoming an adult.

The next day Naruto discovers his new team: Anko, Ino, and Hinata. Naruto learns a powerful Futon and the new Team 12 passes Anko's test. After a month of D ranks, during which the team bonds, the Chuunin Instructor Mizuki flees the village with information on the recent graduates of the bloodline clans. Tsunade orders Team 12 to find and retrieve the information and Mizuki if possible.

The mission goes horribly wrong, however, when the Kyuubi begins to manifest control over Naruto. Naruto, in a crazed bloodlust, utterly destroys Mizuki before turning on Team 12. Faced with the prospect of destroying the first people he's started to become close to since his family split, Naruto fights the Kyuubi's control and nearly dies in the process. Anko is prevented from having to kill Naruto to keep the demon trapped by Ino risking her life to go inside Naruto's mind and rescuing them both from the Demon Fox.

Once they return to Konoha, Naruto discovers his problems had just begun. The Sandaime is out of town and he is being held captive for the high crime of attempted to murder two Clan Heirs, Naruto is faced with humiliation and interrogation by Root plants within the Military Police, all in an effort by Danzo to see the Kyuubi's power for himself. Naruto delivers in a big way and Danzo manipulates the Council into agreeing to let him handle Naruto's training after charges are dropped.

After a painful break with the gravely injured Ino, Naruto meets in secret with Tsunade, who gives him two new jutsu to learn and a dangerous mission. Traveling to ANBU Base South, located at the southern bay of Fire Country along with his new minder and teacher, Tenzo, Naruto will be finding out first hand the true trials of ninja life as he carried out the plan that could save Konoha.

There you have it, hope that helps.

Wolf At The Door

Uchiha Sasuke spent a lot of time in front of the mirror. This fact was well known and commented upon by his peers, whether it be with admiration or derision. However, the true reason for these lengthy sessions in front of his bathroom mirror was unknown to anyone but himself, and he preferred it that way.

The raven-haired scion felt his body unwinding as four spinning tomoe, two in each crimson iris, slowly spiraled to a halt. One of the lesser known abilities of the Sharingan, and other doujutsu, Sasuke supposed, was that its effects could be used upon the wielder given a reflective surface.

This made genjutsu extraordinarily easy for Sasuke to practice, as the subject of his techniques was himself. With enough focus, he could even trick himself into a heightened sense of awareness by triggering the release of adrenaline into his bloodstream, or dull injuries by giving himself a 'shot' of painkillers.

It was a decidedly useful, if risky, technique, and would definitely require further exploration before the Chuunin Exams in two months.

Accompanied by a cloud of steam, Sasuke stepped out of the master bathroom wrapped in nothing but his skin, he paused as one of his two new servants, Miko, slid a robe over his shoulders.

Identical to her sister, Miko was a tall woman with hair so dark it shone blue. Her eyes were the color of dark chocolate, and her figure held just the right mix of slim, taut musculature, and lovely feminine curves to distract the most stalwart of men. In other words she was perfect, for Sasuke's purposes atleast.

One of the first things he'd done upon attaining adult status after his ascension into the ninja ranks had been to hire a pair of servants. For almost five years he'd lived in the sprawling Uchiha Compound without another soul, and though he'd never admit it, the ghosts of his slaughtered kin made poor company. But, naturally, there was more to them than was readily apparent.

Both servants were young, (though still over a decade above his own thirteen), attractive and, most importantly, discreet. There was no need for the wrong ears to hear of his activities over the past four months since graduation. The services of the professionally trained courtesans came at a steep price, but they more than made up for cost by handling his business interests both inside and outside of Fire Country; those aboveboard and below without garnering undue attention from the authorities.

They also prepared all of his food, his stomach reminded him, as he descended from the Master's Suite and into the kitchen, where a hot breakfast and small stack of scrolls dutifully awaited his attention.

Sasuke had always preferred eating in the kitchen, where he had always been able watch his mother bustling away at some task, and brimming with vigor. The dining room was filled with the echoes of his father's disappointment, and that man's false smiles.

Light and a soft breeze filtered through the sheer curtains covering the window above the sink, where Misa was busy cleaning away the dishes, and for a moment, Sasuke allowed himself to believe that those long, dark tresses belonged to his mother. But the moves were too… sensual to have ever belonged to his departed dame, Jounin or no.

Even when performing such menial tasks, Misa and Miko had a nearly tangible aura of 'come-hither-and-ravage-me.' Great for business negotiations, but damnably distracting at times. It didn't help that they'd do anything he requested with not a hint of hesitation or restraint, such was their training.

Speaking of business, Sasuke forcibly turned his attention from Misa's soft humming and hypnotically swaying hips to the four scrolls next to his bowl of steamed rice. Quickly unfurling the first, he found a banking statement. The second detailed a business transaction gone sour due to Sasuke's unwillingness to sweeten the deal any further than he already had. The third was a jutsu scroll detailing methods for Lightning Elemental Recomposition.

The Uchiha heir sipped his scalding hot green tea with relish as he brought his Sharingan to life and devoured the scroll. Kakashi hadn't been much help, as the Jounin's natural affinity was lightning and thus he had no need to recompose his chakra for Raiton jutsu. Sasuke didn't think for a moment that the elite Jounin was incapable of teaching Sasuke, but the two geniuses had rubbed each other the wrong way from day one. He did not like Kakashi and Kakashi didn't seem to care for him much either. Granted, that hadn't stopped the Copy Cat from saving his life from Momochi Zabuza on the A-Rank they'd failed.

Unfortunately, Raiton affinities were nigh nonexistent within Konoha, with Kakashi (and his father before him) being the only two ninja in recent memory with an affinity for the powerful element. So he'd perforce relied on other means to acquire the power he needed.

This scroll had come straight from the sealed library of Kumogakure itself, and Sasuke knew it had cost him a substantial amount for the girls to pick it up from the black market. He decided that he didn't much care, as his Sharingan engraved the last the words into his mind permanently even as he rapidly consumed his wonderfully prepared breakfast.

Setting the scroll aside, Misa would take it to his private library later, the Uchiha Clan Head turned to the final scroll, which was deceptively plain. He sighed, seeing the wax seal, and its Great Tree emblem, and knowing it for a Council summons without opening it.

Around three months ago, Sasuke had thrown an unsightly fit over the matter of one Uzumaki Naruto, or more accurately, the fact that he had not received notice that the Council was convening. Granted, he had been out on a mission at the time, but it was the principal of the thing. He was the Uchiha Clan Head now, and had a right to all the privileges and responsibilities of that title.

The Hokage had listened through his terse rant with obvious amusement, before acceding to his wishes, all while wearing that infuriating smirk. Ever since then he had received summons to Council meetings whenever they were held, and for once he found himself wishing he'd just left well enough alone. The Council meetings were, more often than not, completely unrelated to shinobi affairs, and when they were it was generally about things such as standard pay per mission, the state of the Academy, diplomatic relations with pathetically small ninja clans and villages, logistics, and the like.

In other words: boring. More and more, Sasuke found himself longing for missions outside of the Village to avoid those meetings, and he began to see why his peers, fellow Clan Heads, made excuses to miss those meetings unless something important was being discussed.

Unfairly, he knew, he blamed his plight on the Uzumaki, who was of completely out of reach, and thus Sasuke was unable to take his frustration out on the blond prick. Oh, and he also happened to contain the Kyuubi. Which he was currently being trained to use. By ANBU.

Sasuke scowled as Misa bent over the table to collect his now empty dishes, the shoulder of her loosely worn kimono slipping down and half-revealing a luscious expanse of collar and breast.

Some guys just got all the breaks, he opined, as his Sharingan activated.

Ino twirled through the forms with the grace of a dancer, her mind honed to a point as fine as those of the twin sai that spun in her hands. Her mind supplied targets for her thrusts, kicks, and punches. Without fail those mental practice dummies had blond hair, blue eyes, and distinctive lines on each cheek.

"Ino, don't get sloppy now! Snap, chamber, and move your ass!" Anko shouted from a short distance away.

The platinum blonde acknowledged the admonishment with a nod, as she repeated the form, making sure her kicks were clean, sharp, and balanced. Silence was the only sign that she had performed the move to satisfaction.

Reaching her peak speed, the Genin began a measured deceleration, winding down the work out. By the end she was panting for breath, but not exhausted, a sign of progress for both her taijutsu and her healing.

Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage herself, had taken over Ino's rehabilitation. As a result, Ino had healed more in the past three months than she would have in the next three years with any other medic.

Unfortunately, the therapy was very time consuming, and time was something that the Hokage often lacked. That being the case, Ino had been bewildered when the Hokage had personally offered her services. When the Yamanaka heiress questioned her sworn leader, the legendary kunoichi had only said it's what Naruto would have wanted.

Ino had had no idea that Naruto was on first name terms with the beautiful older woman, but at that time she hadn't been ready to hear anything about that stupid bastard of an Uzumaki.

She still wasn't, truth be told, and avoided any mention of her former teammate. Team 12 would go on without him, though it was a tossup about that for the first month, and so would she, she thought assertively as she took small swallows from a bottle of water her sensei had handed her as she sat down beside her in the shadows provided by the towering trunks of the surrounding foliage.

After Naruto's departure, Anko had been put on probation, pending a hearing concerning her decision making on what was now commonly known as "The Mizuki Mission." The probation had lasted a month while the Council decided whether or not to demote the purple haired kunoichi to Special Jounin. It had finally ended when Tsunade made an executive decision, thus ending Team 12's stay in limbo.

Since then, Team 12 had been on a few missions, though none higher than C rank, and the few C's were basic patrols. The team was filled out on these missions by a fellow rookie Genin who didn't have another assignment. The week long patrol with Sakura had been awkward, to put it mildly, but Ino hadn't felt much like talking anyway, so the long silences after brief stints of forced conversation had been a blessing.

The other teams were kept busy though, so for the most part, Team 12 focused on training, rather than missions. Ino and Hinata, who happened to be late for their nighttime training session, were determined to enter the Chuunin Exams, despite being short one team member. Anko, after failing to talk them out of their foolish, and possibly suicidal, decision, had thrown her all into training the two young kunoichi. The Hokage was aware of their intention and was actively watching the rosters for an opening to fill the void left by Naruto.

In addition to this, Tsunade had prescribed her the worst possible medicine ever created: mandatory training with Maito Gai and Rock Lee. Great for her stamina and taijutsu. Apocalyptic for her sanity. And wardrobe. Ino was now the ashamed owned of a royal purple, spandex bodysuit, complete with cream legwarmers. Unwilling to trash it, which would be rude, she buried it in the deepest, darkest corner of her expansive closet, and vowed never to touch the box again. That thing was tainted.

There was one more plus to training with the two Beautiful Beasts of Konoha, she had met Tenten, and from her had received the sai that now rode her hips, as something of an apology for having to put up with her embarrassing team. Ino was all for female solidarity when it involved her getting shiny new toys. She gave Tenten flesh colored earplugs in return. The look of gratitude mixed with embarrassment on the brunette's face had been as amusing as it was pathetic.

Ino stroked the steel fondly, in a manner disturbingly similar to the way Mitarashi Anko tended to play with her kunai.

"Hinata is late. Again." Ino pointed out, unnecessarily.

"She'll be here when she gets here," Anko replied, utterly unconcerned, as she lounged against the tree, eyes half-lidded.

"Wow, sensei, I didn't have you pegged for the philosophical type, but that was positively deep," Ino ribbed the older woman.

Anko smirked, "Now if you'd listen to all my nuggets of wisdom, we'd be getting something done. Well, you would be, anyway."

"I'm not getting a tattoo, Anko-sensei," Ino said, her voice flat, unfriendly even.

The Jounin snorted, "And you won't be getting laid either with that attitude."

Ino glared at her instructor, who held up a hand, brushing her student's anger aside.

"I'm just saying, it would help distract you from-"

"Or make me lose control and kill myself? Think I'll pass, sensei. Besides, it's not like there's anyone around I'd even consider… why the hell am I even talking about this with you?"

"Because I'm your sensei, and it's my duty to ensure you have a well rounded education," Anko replied flippantly, "What about that Inuzuka boy, he certainly seemed interested."

"Kiba?!" Ino exclaimed with disgust, "Tell me you aren't serious, have you smelled him? Besides, there was a reason he seemed so interested, I was ovulating that week, and dog-boy could smell the pheromones. Hell, men in Tsuchi could smell the pheromones I was so…" Ino trailed off, turning to stare at her instructor with annoyance.

"How do you do that?" the blonde asked petulantly.

Anko shrugged, "You need to talk; I just let you."

The snake wielding Jounin glanced up at the moon, before standing and stretching with a serpentine grace that Ino envied.

"Seems Hinata-hime won't be joining us tonight. Want to train some more or head back to my apartment? You can crash there tonight, and we can track down our MIA Hyuuga in the morning," Anko gave her a lecherous grin; "You can even catch up on your reading."

Ino would have been grateful for the concealing darkness, had Anko not known her well enough to be certain that her cheeks had flushed pink. The older woman was referring to Ino's new found fascination with the Icha Icha series, a guilty pleasure for Ino, who detested perverts with a passion. Anko needled her about it endlessly.

The blonde Genin rose, letting her jaw popping yawn answer for her, and the two kunoichi walked the short distance back to the village proper. Ino's coils were not yet strong enough to sustain the chakra needed to boost her speed or leaping capability. Out of respect for that Anko and Hinata walked or ran where ever they were headed when with Ino. Granted, after 3 months with Gai, Ino had become very fast without chakra.

But the moon was cutting a half circle in the cloudless expanse above, so the two women took their time. Along the way, Anko tried to talk Ino into visiting a bar or two, but Ino flatly refused. No point in risking a chance encounter with her father and his drinking buddies. She was still furious over his role in Naruto's case, despite the outcome.

Anko's apartment wasn't far, which was the reason they'd chosen the nearby training ground for their team meetings. Hinata or Ino or both often ended up crashing there to avoid the tension of their lives at home. It was an odd little bachlorette pad, but it belonged to them all the same.

The apartment itself was six stories of creaking stairs and cranky residents, crammed between a butcher's shop and a senile old man who collected scrap metal to create his 'art' at all hours of the day and night. Fortunately, Anko was sober, so atleast the poor tenants wouldn't be subjected to her drunken ire this night.

The two kunoichi approached the old building in comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts, yet aware of their surroundings. It could not be otherwise for trained ninja. This had often been the case of late, since Naruto had left the Village, and life had continued at an abated pace.

There was a certain intensity to the calm, though. Ino thought, as she took in the dance of light and shadows along the streets and alleys they traversed. The air seemed charged, as if lightning would strike at any moment. It had them all on edge as of late.

It's the wait that gets to you.

Had her thoughts not suddenly put her on alert she may have missed the bulky figure that came leapt down into the street from the roof of the butcher shop that stood adjacent to the apartment building.

The moonlight revealed it to be two people, one hanging loosely on the back of the other. The first was Hyuuga Neji, Lee's aristocratically handsome and perpetually distant teammate, and the person on his back was... Hinata?! Anko's startled hiss confirmed it. The broken figure lying limply on Neji's back was their wayward teammate. Ino and Anko rushed forward, where Neji brusquely shouldered his cousin into Anko's arms.

Ino couldn't see Hinata's face, as she had immediately curled in against Anko with a whimper of pain. The girl was obviously unconscious, as Hinata would never reveal any injury were she awake.

Not that she could have hid these.

Livid purple bruises covered her arms and legs. Her clothes were ripped and stained with dirt and blood stains which showed black in the night. Blood slid in rivulets down her legs to drip to the ground from her toes; blood from between her thighs. Ino quickly walled off the part of her mind that began screaming in anguish and rage.

Turning away from her friend and teammate, she glared at Neji, whose face was the same blank mask she'd always seen on the haughty boy's face, her eyes demanding explanation.

Neji's lip curled as Anko turned and strode into the apartment without a word. He met Ino's baleful look with utter contempt, before turning on his heel.

Ino grabbed his shoulder, talking as she did so, "Hold it, I think you-"

An opened palmed Jyuuken strike, so fast that Ino didn't even have time to be startled, halted centimeters from her forehead, she could feel the chakra splitting around her head and dispersing behind her harmlessly.

Holy shit.

Neji brushed her hand away from his shoulder like a particularly despised speck of dust and looked her in the eyes, his expression cold, and made colder by his high features and pitiless eyes, "Do not presume familiarity, Yamanaka-san, simply because you train with my teammate and sensei," he said, referring to his comrades in a tone most people reserved for the aftermath of stepping in dog shit.

Ino rocked back a step, her left hand fingering the knuckle of the sai at her lower back, before she forcibly dropped it loosely at her side, nonthreatening. Hyuuga Neji was not to be fucked with.

She watched silently as the boy turned away again, "Her condition isn't life threatening, I was able to stop them from that much, atleast," he remarked over his shoulder, his voice reaching her as little more than a jagged whisper from the darkness.

Ino stared after the departed young man for only a moment before the snide little voice inside her head reminded her that she would do well to check on her badly injured teammate, rather than checking out snobby bastards, even if they were gorgeous snobby bastards.

Her cheeks tinged pink, Ino quickly hurried up the stairs to her sensei's fourth floor flat. The apartment was plenty spacious for a lone woman who was out most of the time, having a small kitchen and dining area, a single bedroom and bath, and a spacious living room, complete with a fold out leather sofa, which Ino was wont to crash on. Not tonight though, it seemed, as the couch was currently occupied by the blond's teammate.

Ino approached quietly, her expression solemn as she stood at the foot of the couch where she watched as Anko, crouched over Hinata's head, performed what first aid on the unconscious girl.

The Yamanaka heiress was briefly guilty for feeling relieved that Hinata's form was shrouded in blankets; briefly because at that moment Anko leaned back on her heels and Ino was made aware of the full extent of Hinata's injuries.

Where once there had been two, lavender, pupil-less eyes, there were now only empty voids. Hinata's eyes had been completely gouged out. Dried blood matted her cheeks and neck.

Ino didn't realize she'd lost her balance until the hardwood impacted against her knees, momentarily bringing her out of her daze. She glanced at Anko, a considering frown curled the dark haired woman's full lips as she gazed into Hinata's empty face.

"Sensei…" Ino whispered, the moment having the sudden immense gravity of a funeral.

"I've sent for a medic, he should be here soon," she responded, her voice, typically even and certain in times of strife, suddenly leaden.

"What are the chances of her seeing again?"

"With a donor pair? None. Her optical nerves have been completely annihilated. She's stable, mostly, so the only thing the doctor will be able to do is prescribe medication."

Ino's heart plummeted. Hinata had once attempted to explain what the Byakugan was like to the Hyuuga. The totality of perspective given by the Advanced Bloodline, compared to normal vision, was as to the difference in view of a soaring eagle and an ant, and now she wouldn't even have that bug's view.

Ino understood, quite well Hinata's (and all Hyuuga's) desire to keep the Byakugan active at all times, despite the dire consequences of prolonged use. It even explained the Hyuuga's belief in iron self discipline. She understood because her urge to use chakra was at times overwhelming.

To be able to sense it, feel it there within her beckoning for her to use it. To let it fill her up, heighten the senses, and make the world come alive. Chakra was the drug to which all ninja were addicted, and Ino couldn't get a hit. Or take one, actually. One Jyuuken strike too many and her coils would collapse. It was a testament to Tsunade's chakra control that the Legendary Sannin could work with her chakra system at all.

The tense silence must have stretched longer than she though because it was suddenly broken by a knock at the door. Ino's Jounin sensei rose to open it without a word. In came a respectably aged medic-nin carrying a large scroll in her arms. Old medic-nins were a rarity, given the high mortality rate of the profession, second only to that of Genin.

Ino quickly moved away from the couch to give the middle aged, and thankfully female, medic room. She momentarily wrung her hands in indecision, before stalking to the kitchen to start tea.

Hinata would live, now she could be angry.

They held vigil beside Hinata's sleeping form long into the night. The sky had begun to lighten when Ino once again startled from sleep just shy of slipping from her chair to the floor.

Hinata had not once awakened during the night. Even when her skin turned pale and clammy with fever, and she thrashed against her blankets, trapped in the throes of some night terror, she did not rouse from her sleep.

The medical ninja had informed them that this would be the case, as her body rid itself of the waste material that had once been the eggs within her ovaries. Hinata had been sterilized as well as blinded, both indicators that it had been a Hyuuga that had inflicted the damage upon her. Her own clan had perpetrated such cruelty upon the young kunoichi. Former kunoichi, the young blonde woman mentally corrected, her thoughts as bleak and colorless as the gray light filtering through the curtains. Former clan too, now that she thought about it, remembering her lessons in clan law. Hinata had been disowned. Her eyes and reproductive ability destroyed to ensure that she would be a genetic dead end.

Ino felt exhausted, as if she didn't have anything else to feed the anger smoldering within her. Repeatedly she found herself wishing that Naruto was there, and then cursing herself and the missing Genin for it. She couldn't deny though, that she felt that the situation wouldn't feel so hopeless if only he were there. Anko had been ominously silent almost the entire time, and Ino was shamefully grateful that the older woman was out of the room, taking a shower from the sounds of it.

Shaking herself free of such morose thoughts, she slipped to her bare feet, and made her way to the small kitchen as her stomach reminded her that it was being neglected.

The Yamanaka heiress had scrounged up an apple when a string of hacking coughs spun her around and had her striding quickly towards her friend. By her rapid breathing and sightless groping, Ino knew she was awake at last. Rushing to calm the girl, she spoke soothingly as she slid her arms beneath her remarkably light teammate and set her shoulders against the arm of the couch.

"It's okay, Hinata. You're at sensei's apartment, on her couch. You've been here since last night."

Hinata calmed somewhat at that, though Ino could feel the smaller girl's body trembling through the hand she grasped in one of her own.

"Water… please," she asked, her voice timid and afraid and far from anything that Ino associated with the brash girl before her.

"Of course," Ino said, placating, as she helped Hinata cup a glass of water which had been sitting on the end table for just this purpose. The blind girl drank noisily, her hands shaking so badly that more water ended of trickling down her chin and cheeks than between her lips. Ino tried not to stare at the strips of gauze covering the empty caverns where her eyes had been.

Ino took the glass from her and set it back on the table. Hinata flinched at the small sound of glass striking wood. Ino found herself at a loss for words that wouldn't sound of empty comfort in this situation. She was completely out of her element here, but Hinata was her friend, and she couldn't do nothing, passivity was no part of her nature. Besides, she was loyal, unlike some people.

"Hinata-chan," she began softly, hoping her voice didn't sound as reedy as she thought, "how are you feeling?"

Even through the multiple layers of cloth over the former Hyuuga's eyes Ino could feel the bleakness of that hollow eyed gaze, which, was pointed over her shoulder.

"I can't see!" the newly invalid croaked hoarsely, "I can't SEE!"

Hinata's mouth worked, but no sound came out as the enormity of her loss overwhelmed the girl. Ino watched helplessly as the smaller girl curled into a fetal position, her body wracked with tearless sobs. The Yamanaka heiress knelt by her friends head and stroked her mangy locks of blue-black hair, not knowing what to do.

And suddenly, Anko was there.

Her eyes were harsh, and Ino could have sworn the temperature in the room plummeted several notches. By pure force of presence and body language, Anko maneuvered Ino out of the way without even touching or looking at the young blonde.

"Get up," the Jounin Kunoichi commanded with a hiss.

Hinata flinched at the steel in the voice, her sobs quieting in surprise and a hint of fear. She didn't get up.

"That was an order, Genin. Stand. Up. Now," Anko's volume rose in pitch, until she was barking at her charge.

Ino gaped, "Sensei, stop it! What are you, mmpf!"

The blonde gagged on her next word as Anko leveled a glare at her so intense that Ino rocked back on her heels, and took a small step back to maintain balance.

In the meantime Hinata was wobbling to her feet, her knees shaking so badly that they once crashed together and sent her tumbling back onto the couch. Eventually she made it to her feet, standing infirm and irresolute before her immediate commanding officer.

"What is your name and rank?" Anko questioned, her tone that of a season interrogator.

"Hyuug-," Hinata cut herself off with a strangled sob before beginning again, "I am Hinata, Genin Kunoichi of Konohagakure no Sato."

"Genin, recite the 25th Rule of the Shinobi Credo."

Hinata began haltingly, obviously confused, "N-no mat-t-ter what the situ-situation… a shinobi m-must keep emo-motions on the inside. You, you… must ma-make the mission your top priorit-priority, and y-you m-must possess a heart that never shows tears."

Ino was fighting back tears herself as she mouthed the words along with Hinata, who seemed to be shaking more with exhaustion than emotion now. Nevertheless,

"Again," Anko ordered.

And so it continued, Hinata recited the 25th Rule until repetition and exhaustion had robbed her of any hesitancy she initially felt. After what must have been the twelfth time Anko didn't make her say it again. Hinata teetered dangerously but remained standing.

Ino discreetly wiped the moistness from her cheeks and stepped closer to her two teammates. Anko's initial stern ferocity had dwindled to focused concern. When she spoke, her tone was noticeably warmer.

"Hinata, you must decide, will you remain a ninja? The loss of sight is no minor handicap, but it has and can be overcome with enough effort. What will you choose?"

Hinata tried to wider her stance, perhaps into something more assertive, but only ended up losing her balance and stumbling. Ino quick stepped forward and caught her and took up position beside the other girl, lending her support, physical and otherwise.

"Sensei, I apologize for my shameful display of weakness. I choose to remain as a member of Team 12, if you both will have me."

Ino found herself smiling for the first time in what felt like eons at Hinata's overly formal response. It was just so unlike Hinata that she couldn't find it anything but amusing. She saw a small smile flicker across the ex-Hyuuga's face at Anko's snort.

"Then I believe it's time you two learned Muon Satsujin Jutsu, but first," the Jounin's eyes narrowed with menace, "tell us everything."

"Ah, young Sarutobi-kun. It's been a while."

The Sandaime Hokage allowed a small smile as he came to a halt in the center of the jungle clearing, where Kakuzu sat upon a pile of headless corpses.

There was a large burlap sack sitting upright next to the pile. Sarutobi teased it open with a flick of one ringed, liver spotted finger, confirming that it was filled with the disembodied heads of the team of Waterfall hunter-nin.

"Indeed, Kakuzu-san," Sarutobi replied as he closed the sack, "you're not the easiest person to locate. I've been searching for nearly three months."

The tall ninja stepped nimbly from the macabre hill and lifted the sack over his shoulder, "The thing about being a bounty hunter is that people tend to hide from you. You have to get inside their heads, think like they do, and that means 'not being the easiest person to locate.'"

Sarutobi shrugged, conceding the point to the arrogant older ninja, as he began walking a circle to survey the field of battle, it seemed the team of Hunter-nin had put up quite a fight. Signs of combat scored the surrounding foliage and earth.

"Have a bit of trouble with your latest catch?" Sarutobi questioned, returning his attention to the cloaked man at it's center.

Kakuzu rolled his broad shoulders and glared down at him. The heart snatcher was a big believer in respecting one's elders and such a comment was seen as insolence from the decades younger Sandaime.

"Did you know that I fought your Shodai? There was a real ninja, not like you pups today. That man was unequaled on the field of battle...," his voice trailed off as he became lost in his memories, "And your kin as well, Sandaime. You could scarcely move through Fire Country without running into Senju infestations everywhere."

Abruptly the ex-Waterfall nin's dark eyes narrowed and his body language shifted overtly, "Where's Zetsu? Why are you here, Sarutobi?"

Sarutobi, his red cloud patterned, black cloak sliding along the thick jungle floor in his wake, completed his circle, "Leader-san sent Zetsu to Lightning to locate any jinchuriki there. He sent me to find you because we have a problem. You see, you've killed yet another partner for the bounty on their heads. This is something of a liability, as individuals capable of subduing the Biju or their hosts aren't particularly common."

"So you're my new partner, Professor?" he asked, a greedy sparkle glittering in his dark orbs as he doubtless began to calculate which nation would pay the highest price for the Sandaime Hokage's head.

Sarutobi shook his head, "Not quite."

The bag over Kakuzu's shoulder exploded into a massive column of fire with enough force to shake the ground. Kakuzu and the pile of corpses were instantly immolated in the fiery blast, while Sarutobi stood safely outside the simple containment seal he'd marked on the ground, his Akatsuki robes fluttering around him as the hot wind blew through the clearing. The noise was deafening, and Sarutobi made a mental note to congratulate Jiraiya on the effectiveness of his exploding tags.

Without warning an arm trailing thick black cables burst from the smoke with startling speed. Sarutobi choked as the powerful fingers wrapped around his throat and lifted him bodily from the ground and slammed him into the trunk of a tree over seven meters from where he'd been standing.

The monstrous form of the immortal Akatsuki member appeared a moment later, the thick black cording withdrawing into his grotesquely bulging arm as he drew closer, his gray eyes narrowed with anger and anticipation.

"Sloppy," the older ninja hissed darkly, before slamming Sarutobi into the tree again with emphasis.

The former Hokage let out a hoarse croak before abruptly dissolving into mud, which immediately solidified around his arm trapping Kakuzu to the tree briefly. Sarutobi wouldn't give him a chance to free himself as he rose from the ground behind the towering nuke-nin.

"Doton: Doryū Taiga!"

The earth lurched into motion beneath Kakuzu's feet, the unrelenting river of mud crushing him face first into the tree, forcing a muffled grunt of pain, but Sarutobi wasn't finished yet, and the seasoned nin's annoyance was sharpened by the grudging feeling of respect for the young pup as he felt Sarutobi's chakra spike as he released yet another jutsu.

"Doton: Doryūdan!"

Respect aside, Kakuzu had had enough. It was time to teach this upstart a lesson in combination ninjutsu, and it would be the last lesson the fool ever learned.

"Raitōn: Gian!"

Sarutobi threw himself to the ground, wincing internally at how graceless he'd become. The spear of lightning sizzled by, neatly decapitating his Earth dragon and nearly punching through his torso.

His concentration ruined, the Doton jutsu fell apart and Kakuzu freed himself, a ghastly mask giving face to the hideous mass of cord hovering at his side. This was quickly joined by three others.

The last, however, quickly collapsed and melted, it's eagle mask disintegrating on the spot. It seemed that the initial explosion had done more than rip away Kakuzu's cloak. The former Takigakure shinobi spat in disgust and the disturbing shapes of the remaining masks writhed in response to their master's mood.

Good, Sarutobi thought grimly, as he tossed his own cloak aside, revealing his wiry form clothed in his traditional black and chain mesh combat gear. The First had left detailed documents on nearly all of his opponents, the few that had survived. From this Sarutobi suspected that Kakuzu would try to maintain distance while launching one destructive ninjutsu after another. Sooner or later one would hit if the Sandaime wasn't on his toes.

Smoke continued to curl around the feet of both combatants, lending an otherworldly cast to the darkness of the dense jungle floor. Silence reigned, as all wildlife had long since departed at the sounds of battle.

"I am… perturbed that Leader-sama has seen fit to remove me from the organization, and that he sent you to do the deed," the pale, angry eyes narrowed, "Unless you are acting on your own and trying to destroy Akatsuki from within. You never were part of the cause, Sarutobi. No matter, your head will draw a handsome price from any of the Five. And your heart is mine!"

Kakuzu leapt into the air, the thick black threads exploding from his form as they grappled onto branches and tree trunks to keep him suspended in the air, his remaining masks sweeping out to snare Sarutobi in a pincer.

A dark scowl deepened the lines of time in the Sandaime's face as he prepared for the onslaught, his hands flashing through signs.

"Doton: Domu! Katon: Zukokku! Suiton: Hahonryuu!Raiton: Gian!"

The four techniques bore down on Sarutobi in quick succession, the fire and earth from his left, and the water and lightning from Kakuzu and the remaining mask that hovered on his right. Sarutobi gave them scant attention as he slammed both palms into the ground with authority.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Amatsu kongou keiei!"

A different, far deeper yell sounded a half second later, yelling something Kakuzu could not make out. Nor could he see, blinded by his own techniques.

The small fireball hit the ground and erupted into a raging wave of fire twice the size of that made by the earlier explosion. It spread at a blinding pace and reached Sarutobi's position at the same moment that the large earth spear connected with a horrific crash and explosion of molten earth. The torrent of water rolled over the fire, dousing it even as it was transformed into scalding steam that was then charged by the racing shaft of lightning into a cloud of death.

Kakuzu moved quickly up into the air by way of his grasping tendrils, changing position in case Sarutobi had survived the onslaught by some trick and to get a better view. The steam was dissipating rapidly, revealing the horrendous damage to the clearing and surrounding foliage. Trees were toppled and burnt, trunks giving away under heat of Kakuzu's Zukokku and the force of his mighty water and earth techniques.

A deep furrow marked the ground where Sarutobi had stood and Kakuzu's sharp eyes followed the path of destruction only to find a towering black wall where the smoldering remains of his prey should have been. No, not a wall, it was a metal shield, like those used by archers in the service of daimyo. The shield shook suddenly, then with a pop transformed into a massive gorilla.

Kakuzu loomed closer and lower, his hearts pulling in closer in response to his agitation, and saw that Sarutobi was surrounded by a phalanx of the beasts and now carried a long bo staff in his wrinkled hands. Sharp eyes sized him up warily and the older ninja glowered at his opponent. He sized up the Sandaime Hokage's reinforcements warily, wondering if they posed a significant danger to his hearts. The first, that massive black furred gorrilla, was equipped much like Sarutobi. By the size of it it must have enourmous strength, and if it had evinced the ability to use jutsu then it would be safer to assume that all of them could.

A smaller ape, a chimp wearing full samurai regalia with the symbol of Konoha emblazoned on the front of its kabuto and bearing a ridiculously long odachi, adroitly leapt onto the shoulders of the lead gorrilla and bared his teeth at the hovering Kakuzu. It patted the gorrilla on the head and kicked its heels into the heaving flanks of the ape, just as if he were a horse.

Shaking his head at the samurai chimp's antics was an orangutan wearing the orange robes of a monk. It's hands were tucked into the sleeves of the opposite arm and the crown of its head was bald.

The last of the summons was a baboon wearing sack cloth pants held up by a rope belt. The belt also served as a rack for half a dozen gourds of various sizes.

Further examination was forestalled as Sarutobi suddenly disappeared in an explosion of smoke and the gorilla let out a thunderous roar and charged in a diagonal rush, the chimp on his back chattering excitedly as it waved its sword with wild abandon. Kakuzu leapt up back, unwilling to allow himself to be caught in the trap, moving his mask to close on the charging beasts while he prepared to unleash another string of devastation as he took to the trees.

Too late he remembered to look for Sarutobi, who exploded from the ground below, staff less than a blur as he engaged Kakuzu up close. The older ninja managed to dodge the initial strike, and Sarutobi blew past, only to twist in mid-air and launch an improbable overhand hammer strike with the glossy black staff.

Kakuzu shifted back, his threads moving him at the barest thought, but was surprised as the staff suddenly extended in length, crashing into his shoulder. Even through his Kurogane Karada the blow was enough to dislocate his shoulder and shatter his collarbone, nothing he couldn't fix, if only he had a chance.

The Kami no Shinobi seemed intent on denying him that opportunity as he pressed his attack, leaping through the branches with the ease of a monkey. Kakuzu realized that his attacks were severely limited with Sarutobi this close and the majority of his threads occupied with mobility and support.

Still on the retreat the nuke-nin began reeling in his masks. It was then that he realized his second mistake.

"Now!" he roared into the air.

Sarutobi shunshin'd inside Kakuzu's guard, an extremely risky move against any opponent, his staff whirling, cutting. The masked ninja saw the severed threads falling around him, taking his confidence in winning this battle going with them. With a roar he grabbed Sarutobi in an iron grip, staff and all, even as threads exploded into motion around and from every joint in Kakuzu's body, wrapping them both in a cocoon of thread even as they plummeted to the earth.

The impact was barely felt through the heavy fabric of the constricting chrysalis. Sarutobi was slowly being crushed to death against Kakuzu's rock hard body. He struggled to draw breath as the immense pressure Kakuzu exerted began cracking ribs. It was difficult to tell, but Kakuzu didn't appear to be breathing at all, and Sarutobi detachedly wondered if he even needed to. The Sandaime could feel jolts and tremors coming from the older ninja and realized that he was in even more pain than Sarutobi himself.

A deeper darkness than that of the inside of the cocoon began taking over his vision, even as the muffled roars of his various ape summons went on unabated as they destroyed the masks that he had severed from Kakuzu with his adamantine staff.

Abruptly, the pressure increased two-fold and Sarutobi very nearly blacked out from the pain and lack of oxygen. Just as suddenly the pressure began to lessen little by little, and the Sandaime's mind began to connect the dots as he felt two hairy arms slide around him and begin to push.

The venerable old ninja could literally feel the tension in Enma's muscles as he strained against the trap they found themselves in, and Sarutobi gasped as air entered and tiny pinpricks of light began to appear between the thick bands of thread.

Sarutobi could make out Kakuzu's face and torso now. His eyes showed his incredulity and burgeoning fear. It had been a long, long time since he'd been so vulnerable, so close to death. Down to only the heart beating in his chest and surrounded by enemies.

Enma grunted and the gaps surged open further. Sarutobi could now make out a few of the gigantic feet of the apes around them as they desperately tried to assist their king. Sarutobi channeled chakra into his arms and tried to lift them from where they were trapped at his sides.

It was then that the gravity of the situation shifted. Sarutobi saw the change in the nuke-nin's eyes: from desperation to survive to grim resolve.

The bands of thread abruptly compressed, and Sarutobi's arms snapped like dry twigs. He yelled hoarsely as pain flooded his senses. His arms burned with jagged fire as he bit down on his cheek until it bled.

Large fingers the color of ash wormed their way into the widest gap to Sarutobi's left and struggled to open it with minimal results. The opening was about the size of a narrow window. Sarutobi could get through if only he could move, but Enma would never be able to make it.

Enma seemed to sense this as well, "Go," the great king said through gritted teeth, the strain evident in his voice, "go, you old bastard and tell my son… that I always knew that he would be a better king than I ever could be. That I've always been proud of him."

With that he heaved and the choice was taken out of Sarutobi's hands as he was grabbed by his arm and yanked out of the cocoon and consciousness.

When Sarutobi came to the first thing he saw were the tall gates of Konoha in the distance. The second thing he saw was a gigantic fist torpedoing into his jaw. It popped, dislocating as bones are wont to do when hammered by an irate 272 kilogram gorilla. He was lucky it hadn't been crushed.

"Listen well, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure," Ennosuke, son of Enma and now Monkey King, said as he loomed before Sarutobi's swimming vision, "the contract between Ape and Konoha has been violated. The King has died in defense of a shinobi acting against the interests of Konoha. This is my judgment as Monkey King. May you one day know the pain you have caused my people."

Sarutobi could only look on, silently nursing his broken jaw and wounded soul and unable to pass on Enma's final message, as Ennosuke disappeared in a large puff of smoke. Enma must have told his son about Akatsuki. In his wake a ring clattered to the earthen road. The old ninja collapsed to his knees and slowly moved his broken arm until he could grasp the ring lying in the dirt. It took monumental effort to make it to his feet and take that first step towards the gates, but he was the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, and he would persevere at all costs to save his grandson's life. No matter the cost. He raised his head.

The road to Konoha had never seemed longer.

When Naruto had first started this training he hadn't known what to expect. In hindsight, this type of endurance exercise should have been exactly what he should have known was coming his way. At first, as Tenzo had sent more and more pummeling branches and hard hitting shafts of wood at him he had gotten angry at his utter inability to cope with the sheer number of blows coming his way and banging him up. The Kyuubi had found him easy pickings.

After the first few lessons and a thorough examination by both Tenzo and one of the resident Medic-Nins, the Jounin who could somehow repress the Demon concluded that each time the Kyuubi took control it fundamentally changed Naruto's psyche, as well as inducing physical changes. It toughened his body, made it more difficult to sustain an injury in the same place more than once. His senses sharpened, and even his diet was affected. Naruto had gone from finding leafy vegetables tolerable to the point where the taste made him nauseated and he would usually regurgitate anything he managed to choke down. He preferred his meat bloody rare and would probably eat it raw if he ever came across it and was hungry enough. His eyes were better at tracking moving targets than stationary and his night vision improved, if not excessively.

Even the way he moved changed -- became more predatory. He was a stalker, and it showed in the way he fought. He often avoided open battles in favor of incapacitating opponents in a sudden unexpected rush.

But the physical changes did not concern Tenzo. It was the affect on the boy's mind that had led him to forbid the Trainee to draw on the Demon Fox's power. Each time it left the blond more prone to strong emotions and not necessarily limited to negative ones. He was made more susceptible to extreme hunger and carnality just as much as rage and bloodlust. It was too dangerous to allow the young man to try harnessing the biju's power until he'd had more training in controlling himself.

It had taken over two weeks of constant training of both his mind and body to suppress the Kyuubi's murderous rage even fractionally. It was another week before he'd been able to banish the Kyuubi once it'd taken over. Naruto felt that he had spent more meditating in that first month than in his whole life up to that point. Tenzo was a relentless taskmaster and pushed him harder with each lesson.

He wasn't allowed to slack off from his Root education either. And the lessons were fascinating. He'd learned much and had come into his Wind Affinity with a strength that surprised even him. When he moved he was as soft and silent as the breeze, his limbs imbued with the lightening effect of wind chakra. His strikes were fast and powerful.

So it was here and now, three months later, that he faced Tenzo's gauntlet with poise and confidence. His face betraying nothing as he mentally prepared for the coming battle. Emotion was weakness. That was what experience and teachers had taught him. Shinobi were tools weren't they? That's what he'd always been taught. Even Sandaime-sensei's words were little help.

"You seem unfocused," Sarutobi-sensei said wryly as he watched Naruto pick himself up out of the dirt.

Naruto nodded brusquely, the mild reprimand enough to cause shame and embarassment. There was nothing the young boy desired more than his sensei's approval. The training continued but the wise old shinobi could sense that something still troubled his protege. He did not press the issue. He knew that Naruto would broach the subject with him if he could not solve the problem himself. Naruto had always been an independent child, and the break with his adopted family had only served to strengthen that proclivity to keep his thoughts to himself.

The young blond only noticed on a subconscious level that his teacher and grandfather had ended their practice spar earlier than normal. It was the middle of winter, and the night came on quickly, bringing with it a noticeable chill. After cleaning himself, Naruto set about making hot tea for his grandfather, knowing the cold bothered the older man more than he'd admit. He moved by rote rather than through conscious attention, his mind still occupied with that day's Academy lesson.

He located Sarutobi-sensei in front of the fire in his favorite armchair, a book open in his lap. He held out his hand for the tea cup without looking up, and Naruto dutifully placed the fine china cup in his hand. Abruptly he knelt before his Master and sole familial figure, forehead pressed to the rug and hands flat on the floor before him.

Sarutobi sighed, and Naruto knew that his overt formality of late frustrated his teacher, but the Demon Jailor, though he knew it not then, had an increasingly difficult time connecting with the man he admired above all others.

"You have a question, pupil?" Sarutobi responded wearily but not without warmth.

"Yes, sensei."

"Ask then, boy," Sarutobi said with a hint of false grouchiness that was his right as an elder statesman.

"Today in the Academy I was taught that shinobi are the tools of the village, to be wielded by their superiors and masters. That emotion hinders the ability to perform effectively. Yet you've always taught me that emotions can used to strengthen our abilities, and I-"

"You are confused by the opposing ideas," Sarutobi finished for his grandson.

"Yes, sensei."

"I cannot help you here, Naruto. The decision is a personal choice for each and every shinobi. That rule is in place to help protect ninja from the emotional pain of some of the things they must see and do. The life of a ninja is not easy. It is not a child's fairytale. I have known fine men and women of both creeds. Some ninja do not have the will necessary to overcome their emotions, so they endeavor to cease to feel those emotions. Others use those emotions to fuel their abilities and focus their will. That is the essence of the Will of Fire, to use the love one had for his or her family and village to find the strength to protect them at all costs," Sarutobi paused, pulling his old pipe from a pocket hidden within his robes. Naruto waited patiently for his teacher to go through the familiar ritual of lighting it and soon the pungent scent of tobacco lent itself to his words as he continued.

"I will tell you that both paths can lead to danger if taken too far. I have known men so lacking in emotion that they have lost all sense of morality and fallen into the abyss of depravity and desolation. I've also met those so consumed by their hatred or lust for violence or revenge or even despair that they are wholly consumed. Neither end is one I would choose. The goal is moderation. Too much or too little, both lead you from who you are and then you may as well be dead."

His grandfather had not seemed inclined to speak further. His eyes were distant as he stared into the fire, pipe clenched tightly between his teeth. Naruto quietly stood, bowed to his Master and retreated to his room, thoughts a whirl.

Wise words, Naruto thought again, as he had then, while he twisted and twirled through and past thrusting and hammering lengths of wood that exploded at him from every direction. But the Kyuubi had taken the choice out of his hands, he contemplated gravely as he somersaulted away from the whiplike tip of a green sapling. His musing was not tinged with bitterness or anger. He'd accepted it as his burden to bear and did not question it. Nor was it viewed through a filter of homesickness or longing. Less and less he wondered how his old family and friends were doing. It had surprised and worried him how little he seemed to miss them, but he didn't let it bother him any more. They were strong and could take care of themselves.

The branches attacking him were as wide across as his shoulders and where he could not dodge the he cut. A dervish of wind whorled around his body, slicing into the animated lumber and forming a cyclone of fallen leaves around his position. His body moved automatically as he extended his senses to their limit. Grasping vines now joined the charging logs, which had grown to the width of a two horse cart. He danced under, over and even on the speeding currents of living plant, but eventually the assault began to overwhelm him. A reaching vine tugged him into the path of an oncoming branch before he could rid himself of the leafy feeler.

The force of the blow left him bruised and breathless even as it hurled him up into the air, his Kaze bure-ka only doing superficial damage to the offending limb. Flat topped columns of wood gave chase and carried him up through the forest canopy. He didn't have time to take in the impressive bird's eye view of the forest stretching off to the horizon, though. Wooden dummies sprouted up from the tops of the surrounding columns and Naruto abruptly realized he was surrounded on the improvised platform.

The surprisingly agile dummies rushed him all at once and furious blows were launched in his direction. Several connected as Naruto tried to fend off a dozen opponents at once with just taijutsu. Performing an awkward off balance jump, he quickly flew threw handsigns and called out.

"Fūton: Daitoppa!"

His Wind breaker morphed into a blast of wind in every direction, throwing silent, faceless dummies into one another or skidding off the edge platform for a long drop to the forest floor, and then he went to work. He was on top of the wooden men before they could regroup. Pulling his bo staff free, he unleashed crushing blows to the vulnerable joints of the wood dummies. The versatile flow of wind surrounding him lent speed to the weapon, and it was a deadly blur in his hands.

Soon the dummies were destroyed. Naruto breathed heavily at the respite but was still on guard for whatever Tenzo would throw at him next.

A shift in the air alerted him a fraction of a second before the wooden blade crashed into his collar from behind. He wore no protective covering aside from his typical long sleeved shirt and the blow hurt. Ignoring the pain he rolled with the force of the blow, performing a side roll to his forward left and spinning as he came to his feet, staff already whirling around him defensively as Tenzo came at him head on, wooden katana its deceptively thin and brittle in appearance belied the brute force it could bring to bear despite lacking an edge.

The Demon Jailor didn't even have a moment to think of formulating an attack as Tenzo pressed him with blazing speed. Naruto struggled for calm as the Mokuton user battered him back again and again, trapping his exits and limiting his options as he rapidly forced Naruto to the edge of the high platform. The Root Trainee grimaced as he over reached on a desperation strike and had several knuckles broken when Tenzo's sword crashed into his hand.

His staff went clattering to the ground and Naruto quickly launched three shuriken in rapid succession, trying to give himself some space. That hope was dashed as the ANBU Captain effortlessly deflected the projectiles and leapt forward to close the distance. Naruto tried to shift backwards but realized he'd run out of room, his heel dangled over the precipice. Fear coiled in his gut as he withdrew a kunai, focusing past the fright and its accompanying black anger that would be his undoing.

Sapphire eyes narrowed in concentration, he narrowly slipped the older ninja's downward stroke and struck, locking Tenzo's arm with his elbow and heaving himself backwards. Momentum was on his side and allowed him to lift the grown man from his feet. The jinchuriki executed a backbend, his feet stuck to the platform as he lauched Tenzo into space, or tried to. His wily opponent had abandoned his sword and locked his hand around Naruto's wrist, using the Trainee's arm like a rapelling cable he landed on the side of the platform and stuck there.

Naruto refused to give the ANBU time to recover and used the grip to perform a back flip and deliver a donkey kick to Tenzo's head with both feet. The sudden mauneuver lifted the man from his horizontal position and sent him spiraling to the ground below. Immediately, the towering platform began to lower itself. Naruto, his bruises and breaks slowly healing themselves, climbed back to the top of the platform and waited.

Soon Naruto stood on the solid ground of the forest floor and Tenzo, the real one rather than a Moku bunshin made himself known. He didn't critique the fight, that was not important.

"Better, but you began to panic at the edge," the brown haired man noted in his usual monotone, "Did you feel anything from the Kyuubi?"

"No. The seal remained dormant," Naruto said, his tone equally clipped and to the point.

"Good. Dismissed. You will meditate for one hour until your next class," Tenzo ordered before glancing briefly at the sky and disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Their relationship was not close. Nothing more than that of instructor and student. Naruto had at first wondered if the man was a fellow spy for the Hokage, but he had seen nothing to indicate such a thing. No secret correspondence or symbols and assistance other than what was expected of him as a teacher. The sapphire eyed young man knew it was childish to expect such things, especially if Tenzo was a spy or a double agent. The irony of being a spy was that you gathered information, but rarely saw the complete picture.

As he left, Naruto glanced to the west, the direction Tenzo had looked. There were storm clouds in the distance.

The storm rolled ever closer, as massive and imposing as any mountain. Insistent gusts of wind tugged at his hair and clothing in fits and starts, as if a petulant child demanding attention. Thunder drummed in ominous harmony with the crash of waves against the rocky, heedless shore, launching spray dozens of meters into the air, lending a salty scent to the breeze.

Naruto's face betrayed nothing as he measured the tempest's inexorable incursion into the vulnerable arms of the bay from his high perch atop the rocky cliffs – for there was nothing to betray.

In three short months the anticipation he'd once felt at the sight of lightning arcing across the impenetrable background of storm clouds had ceased to exist. He didn't mourn the loss, had aided in its destruction. Anticipation precluded expectation. To expect was to assume. Assumption led to death. This was fact, and Naruto had taken it to heart.

The jinchuriki had had to learn quickly here at ANBU Base South, secret headquarters for Danzo's Ne organization. Those who didn't carry their weight fast were disposed of, either by the hands of their peers or by the grueling discipline meted out by the instructors of Generation One and Two. Naruto had already been forced to murder two fellow students. The first had been some imbecile whose name the blond Genin had never learned. The foolish boy had challenged him publicly. The instructors would have killed the fool had Naruto not, and then Naruto himself for failing to deal with his own problems.

The second had simply been too interested in his comings and goings. Her curiosity served as the catalyst to her body becoming sea floor carrion. He harbored no regret for the necessity of the act, not now.

Tenzo had bluntly informed him that he should expect no special treatment. He would live or die as they all did: alone save his partner. All others were threats and not to be trusted. The first month had seen him struggling to adapt to the cutthroat existence at the base; the mission given to him by the Hokage put aside in the contest for mere survival.

Intense homesickness had haunted him for a time, and Sai, whose friendly persona was nothing more than a thin façade hiding a killer as ruthless as any other, had been a vital example during those first difficult weeks.

His true indoctrination had begun then. The Konoha Academy was sunshine and daffodils next to the ANBU Root training regimen. No quarter was given, and if asked for the answer was a slit throat and a long fall into a dark sea.

Torture and Interrogation, Assassination, Infiltration, Combat, and Information Gathering were not just classes; they were a way of life. Naruto had been slated for Assassination and Infiltration. All students took Combat. Only the G3's'and higher were allowed to attend Torture and Interrogation for the moment. Naruto and Sai were G4's.

Despite it being a general class, open combat was heavily frowned upon; that frown often directed at the corpse of whoever had unleashed some idiotically flashy jutsu in a fight.

Lightning bloomed and the subsequent thunder shook the earth as the sound rebounded from the cliff face. Rain, cold and stinging lashed his face as the blond boy stood and made his way back down into the shelter of the base, Wind natured chakra lending quickness and fluidity to his movements. He'd spent enough time planning. It was time to act. Unwittingly, a small smile curved his lips.

Less than an hour later, Naruto, Genin turned ANBU Ne trainee, glanced over at his nearly constant companion of the past quarter year. For all that the other boy was his antithesis in coloring, dark where he himself was light; they shared similar expressions of unconcern.

Milling around along with them were approximately five dozen others, ranging from the upper teens to as young as nine or ten. A few struggled to maintain their calm as the critical hour drew nigh.

Rain and wind tossed debris pelted down through the narrow slit of sky above, making any exposed paths treacherous, and drenching them all in the process. Soon they'd all be ordered into the bloated river adjacent to them by the blank faced G2s and leering G1s standing on a sheltered outcropping above them. Only the promise of the storm intensifying stayed them from beginning their entertainment.

Sai shifted slightly on the balls of his feet, the fingers of his right hand twitching ever so slightly. Naruto knew this to be a sign of his impatience to return to his drawings, but this was mandatory for all three Generations currently in training. There were rumors that Danzo was already looking to put together a G6 for even younger recruits.

"Focus, Sai," the Demon Jailor muttered just loud enough to be heard, "I know this isn't really necessary for us, but if all we needed to worry about was the Plunge itself we wouldn't be here."

Sai spared him a dark eyed glance, waterlogged hair plastered to his hitai-ate, "You think there's anyone left in our group foolish enough to try us after the last attempt?"

Naruto shook his head, none of their fellow G4s would soon forget the gruesome sight of Sai's ink splattered across the bed, ceiling, and walls of the barracks – nor the scarlet mixed into it.

"It's not our group we need to be wary of," Naruto answered with a barely perceptible flick of his eyes towards the bulk of the G3s.

"Ah."

"Yeah," Naruto answered.

"Worried?" Sai queried, trusting his partner's instincts.

"Not overly, it's too obvious."

"After then… unless we strike first."

"Death comes unexpectedly," Naruto concluded.

Sai smiled politely.

Thunder crashed and echoed in the narrow ravine and the signal, a kunai embedding itself in some careless G5's foot, came. Naruto discretely checked his hip pouch before taking a deep breath and following Sai into the torrent.

The Plunge was just that, throwing oneself into the rushing flow of the storm-swelled river, being grabbed by its mighty undertow and flushed through the sharp twists and turns of any of the many underwater tributaries before being expelled out into the bay, where a whirlpool a kilometer across sought to suck the trainees down into oblivion.

Darkness absolute shrouded Naruto's vision as the undertow drew him down into its depths—the Shinigami beckoning him into its welcoming embrace.

Naruto wished himself luck as he watched the kage bunshin slip into the roaring river after Sai. Clad in grays and blacks to break up his form, with a gray bandana covering his eye catching blond hair, Naruto hid beneath an overhang a dozen meters above the quickly departing senior G1s and 2s. He knew from past experience that the entertainment would continue from a better vantage point.

Waiting until they'd vanished from sight, Naruto loosed himself from his perch with a push of his legs and leapt to a nearby platform. From there he quickly and stealthily made his way lower and deeper into the ravine, following the path one of his more useful summons, a Pygmy Marmoset that he called Zaru, had outlined for him. His tertiary goal was to gather incriminating evidence against Danzo, which was in unbelievable, if subtle, abundance in the teachings here. His secondary goal was to finish mapping out the base in it's entirety, as Tsunade didn't trust the intel Danzo had made available to her. His primary goal was to hide summoning scrolls throughout the base for the eventual assault. If successful it would be a major coupe for the Godaime and would rid her of Danzo and his meddlesome opposition.

Far from stupid, Naruto was also initiating a number of failsafes of his own against the unfortunate discovery of his clandestine activities, most of which were grounded in his Infiltration studies. It was ironic. Root's teachings would be their own undoing. Under normal circumstances it would likely be impossible for an untested Genin to carry out such an intricate deception. Yet it was just that unliklihood that worked in Naruto's favor. The very idea of a Konoha Genin operating against and amid ANBU caliber shinobi in the depths of Fire Country was absurd. Even ninja could fall prey to their own preconceptions. It was a blindingly obvious ploy to try an exploratory infiltration when defenses were supposedly at their lowest. No experienced operative would even consider it, nor would those on guard. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy and Naruto marvelled at the ingenuity of the Hokage to exploit it.

Naruto slipped into the deep black of an empty cave system below the forbidden areas of the base, where high level missions were planned and full members trained and lived. This particular series of caves was below the water level of the river and regularly flooded during spring, and was thus never used. Unlike the well maintained portions of the base, this series of unlighted caves was full of dead ends, hellishly deep pools of water, and sudden dangerous drop offs. Through extensive use of shadow clones and the enhanced senses given to him by the captive demon, Naruto had created a rough map of the trecherous area.

He put that knowledge to good use as he made his way, blind, deeper and higher through the slippery caverns. The air smelled and tasted of wet earth and The Demon Jailor's sensitive ears picked up the tumult of rushing water behind the walls of rock, and was pleased that the fickle river had not decided to blast open a new course this day. Progress was relatively slow, and more than once Naruto nearly lost his footing as he felt and remembered his way through stalactite filled natural passages.

Time had little meaning here beneath the earth, but Naruto guessed that maybe an hour had passed since his doppleganger had entered the river. He had time, not much, but he wouldn't let hastiness ruin all his work. He was rewarded a short time later when he heard voices echoing down through the tunnels. A result, he knew, of a high, narrow shaft connecting this cave system to the kitchens of the Root center.

It wasn't long until he was following the dimly lit and soot stained shaft into a natural chimney above the cold ovens. The kitchen was still lit and Naruto, inching head first down the thin chute, poked his head out and did a quick survey. An older man, probably part of the live-in cleaning crew was singing softly to himself as he mopped the floor. Naruto waited until his back was turned to drop down behind the row of large stone ovens.

The blonde held his breath, eyes narrowing as the singing abruptly cut off, only to release it in a silent sigh as the wet plop of the mop striking tile sounded and the soft singing resumed. Shaking his head, Naruto willed himself to focus. No mistakes could be tolerated, and it wouldn't matter if a civilian or shinobi sounded the alarm, he'd still be dead. But perhaps he could use this to his advantage.

Rising slowly, Naruto focused his attention and chakra on his target and spoke the words of the justsu in his mind as he performed the necessary seals and released his chakra.

Nehan Shōja no Jutsu.

The sleep inducing genjutsu quickly took effect as the old janitor quickly decided it was time for a nap, abruptly dropping down against the wall. Naruto let out another breath. Genjutsu were not his forte. The blond attributed the success as much to the fact that the victim was elderly and civilian as he did to his own skill. Not wasting any time, Naruto heaved the old man over his shoulder and hid him behind the ovens, face down so any snoring wouldn't attract attention and relieved him of his key ring.

The Root Trainee then performed a quick Henge and took up the tools of his new trade. He flicked the lights off behind him as he pushed the flimsy cart out of the door after storing the bucket and mop, locking it behind him as he went.

The hall he entered was well lit, in stark contrast to the rickety lighting afforded by his own dwelling area, and presented him with the immediate dilemna of which way to go first. Picking randomly, Naruto took a left, deciding that if he followed the wall to his left he would eventually eventually have a rough perimeter mapped. Mimicing the old man's shuffle would have wasted valuable time, thankfully the halls were mostly deserted, and Naruto had become so accustomed to this technique over the past three months that it was but a matter or thought to effortlessly slide into the gait this body was most accustomed to.

He used his heightened sense of smell to avoid areas that smelled of humans and after half an hour later and he thought he'd done all he could in this form. He had the perimeter, he'd even done most of the work for his fail safes, and he had avoided detection, but now came the difficult part. Locating a supply closet several meters off what looked and smelled like the entryway, Naruto paused, waiting for a crash of thunder open the door, in case the guard he could sense just around the corner decided to investigate. The air was warm in the stone hallways, so there had to be a vent system. He planned to use it to scout further and set his scrolls.

"Outta the fuckin' way, chump!" a loud, obnoxious voice sounded immediately after the the rolling boom of thunder faded away.

The unmistakeable sound of steel being drawn was heard next, and Naruto wondered if a brawl was about to break out right in the middle of the hall. He hoped so, it would make for marvelous cover. Those hopes were dashed however when the distinctive and crippled form of Danzo stepped into the hall from a different hall, from further into the base. The Root Trainee's blood ran cold. Naruto hadn't heard him, hadn't smelled him, hadn't sensed a presence, hadnt even known he was at the base. Naruto quickly supressed the fear out of habit more than any stirrings in the seal, nevertheless it was a startling reminder that at one point this man had wielded power near equal that to the Sandaime.

Remembering himself, Naruto fumbled for the keys -- and dropped them. He had good reason to be startled, as the nauseating scent of venom assaulted his nose just as one of the most feared nuke-nin ever to turn traitor stepped further into the hall, surrounded by five figures, four of whom were cloaked and hooded. Orochimaru himself looked identical to his picture in the Konoha Bingo Book, long black hair, skin the color of milk, with purple tattoos giving a reptilian cast to his yellow, slitted eyes, causing Naruto to wonder briefly at the ability of all of the Sannin to age so well before turning his attention to the sole remaining ninja, for it was unlikely that the robed figures were anything else, had her hood pushed back, revealing dark magenta hair under a strange cap framing a strong face and a dark scowl. It was likely that she was the one who had spoken.

Naruto dropped to grab the keys without missing a beat, examining the dangerous meeting out of the corner of his eye as Danzo, seemingly oblivious to his presence, presented a welcoming smile that stretched his scars into a gruesome mask, "Stand down, stand down," he said, waving the as yet unseen guard before turning to Orochimaru and his silent guards, "Orochimaru-san. It's been a long time. I'm glad you came. Come, we have much to discuss."

"Of course," the Snake Sannin all but purred as he stepped forward to Danzo's side, chuckling, his guards falling in behind him.

Just as they set out Orochimaru's venomous smile widened and one slitted eye caught Naruto's own.

The blond jinchuriki was completely stunned. The implications of what he'd just seen and heard a jumbled confusion in his mind. If Orochimaru and Danzo were working together, and they obviously atleast planned to talk, then the stakes had just skyrocketed. Konoha could be in deeper than Tsunade imagined. Naruto now had all the evidence he needed and more to accuse Danzo of treason.

He should get out right now and hightail it back to Konoha with this intel at once, but was it enough? Orochimaru had ferreted him out with ridiculous ease, much like Anko had at their first meeting... but Sannin or no, he still didn't know who Naruto was under the henge. And, Naruto slowly admitted to himself as he entered the supply closet at last, he wasn't done learning how to control the Kyuubi. He had made great strides under Tenzo to be sure, but it wasn't enough. Naruto wanted complete control of his emotions so that the demon fox could never exert its will over him again. This mission was of vital importance, both to Konoha and to him personally. He couldn't afford to abort it now.

Mind made up, and hoping he wasn't making a fatally stupid decision, he dropped the transformation and wormed into the heating vents, thankful for the gloves that protected his hands from the scalding metal. He moved silently, thankful for his small size in the hot, cramped space. Sweat soon soaked his face and chest but he moved on, searching each room and vent as he tried to mentally map his route. He was no cartographer, but his mind and senses were sharp and the map soon took shape. When ever he found an empty storage room he stopped to place one of Tsunade's summoning tags in an unobtrusive place, using his small bag of tools to open and close the vent grates.

All of his objectives were complete, yet he hadn't come across Orochimaru and Danzo yet. Naruto wasn't sure whether he should be relieved or upset at this. Of course it was pure foolishness to seek out S-ranked ninja and their undoubtedly skilled guards, but more information on their plans could seal the Hokage's victory. It didn't matter now, though as he hadn't found them. He resolved to get out and make his report when he heard the twisted Sannin's distinctive laughter echoing through the metal tunnels, seemingly nearby.

Silently cursing himself a fool, Naruto made an about face and followed his ears. Past a slowly whirring fan the vent turned forty-five degrees upward. Naruto crawled slowly up the incline as the sound of voices grew from the barest whisper to a low murmur. They were not in sight, but Naruto could hear their conversation through a grate in the floor of the room they occupied. The blond hadn't accounted for multiple levels and cursed his stupidity. Fortunately it couldn't be large, as Naruto had not seen any stairwells or heard anything from above until now.

Getting as close to the grate as he dared, the Demon Jailor strained his ears trying to catch the quiet conversation over the noise of the fan, closing his eyes so he could better concentrate. He didn't dare use chakra this close to the legendary ninja.

"... return... -able assistant-..." the former Hokage Candidate was asking in what Naruto thought was a questioning tone, "leave... me?

"... course. I... little... happens to... after... fun."

"... do if... are to... aid."

A pause, Naruto assumed Orochimaru had motioned, as Danzo's voice went on a second later and this he heard with absolute clarity, as Danzo's voice rose suddenly in volume and acidity.

"Kill Tsunade!"

Orochimaru's laughter filled the room and Naruto fought to push down a surge of white-hot rage at the crippled man. Having the Kyuubi rear up now would ensure his death. Still seething, Naruto took a risk and moved closer to the grate. He could see feet and the legs of a table on a thick carpet in the center of the room but litte else. The voices sounded more clearly too, and Naruto wondered if they were talking louder or if he was just that much more focused.

"And what of my old friend Jiraiya?" Orochimaru said, voice dripping with amusement.

"With the bitch hag and old man dead he won't have any reason to stick around. Or even live. Who knows, he may beg me to end his life!" Danzo chuckled at his own poor joke.

Orochimaru let out a small laugh that sounded condescending to Naruto's ears, but if the leader of Root noticed nothing was said or done. Naruto ignored Danzo's jibes, closing his eyes and descending into a light meditative trance.

"Very well then, Danzo, or should I say: Rokudaime-sama? I will fulfill my end of the bargain, but first I believe we should seal the deal with a mutual symbol of trust," the snake hissed. Naruto wondered if Orochimaru always sounded like he knew a joke at your expense that you didn't and resolved to ask Jiraiya about it the next time he saw the Toad Hermit.

"I am amenable to such a thing. What did you have in mind?"

"I will give you five of my best warriors here under your command, including the last of Mist's Kaguya clan, to help coordinate movements. They are yours to use as you see fit, and are all excellently conditioned."

Danzo let out a pleased breath and asked Orochimaru to continue, "Yes, and what would you like from me? I have a number of men that you would find invaluable."

The nuke-nin released another of those unpleasant chuckles, "Really, Danzo, I have no use for your spies. No, I want something much simpler: the head of that spy lurking behind the wall. Yes, that will do nicely and prove you a competent ally."

Shit!

A white spear suddenly came crashing through the vent and skewered Naruto through the midsection before he could so much as blink. Pain exploded as he hacked up blood and his vision went dark.

Kimimaro spun and swept forward, the spear of bone disappearing into his palm as he knelt before his master, head bowed.

"Kage bunshin, Master. I did not see the spy's face before the clone was destroyed. I've failed-"

Orochimaru abruptly dismissed his most devoted servant, not bothering to listen to his groveling, and turned to his back to his potential ally, "Well it seems you have some searching to do, Danzo-san. I expect that head within a week. Please do not disappoint me," he spoke flippantly as he left the room and the seething traitor with ice cold eyes.

The memories hit Naruto like a fist to the gut and he nearly dropped the unconscious young man draped across his shoulder as he scaled the rain slick face of the cliff. He readjusted his grip on Sai before continuing towards the series of tunnels that led into the base far above. A quick examination of the memories the kage bunshin had imparted left his mind spinning. Calling upon his training, he walled himself into the here and now, focusing himself on the present task.

It had been over three hours since they'd begun the training exercise. Naruto usually finished inside of two. It turned out that the G3's had indeed decided to ambush them and rid themselves of potential competition, taking the decision out of the younger boys' hands. Such fighting for position was frowned upon but tolerated as a natural consequence of the training regimen by their superiors. They'd gotten Sai alone when he surfaced and managed to inflict a sharp blow to his head before the ink user managed to beat them back even without his drawing techniques. By that time Naruto had arrived and the two made short work of the pair of G3's. Only one of the weaker duos would bother trying to take out trainees from a lower generation.

Unfortunately Sai's head wound had proved more serious than they initially thought. The dark haired boy lost consciousness soon after and Naruto had to decide whether or not to let his teammate die or risk his life to save Sai's. After a short deliberation he'd decided to bring his partner and minder with him, lest he be assigned a new spy. The devil you know and such.

Deciding the storm had declined enough to not alter his course, the jinchuriki aimed for a high ledge, Naruto gathered his Wind chakra and leapt from ledge to ledge. Horizontal leaps of up to nearly fifteen meters were well within his range, even so burdened. The wind chakra leant speed and strength to his movements and soon he found himself inside a sheltered overhang with a welcoming party of instructors and other higher ranking members.

"G4 Root Trainees Zero-One and One-Nine. Three hours, sixteen minutes. Training complete."

"One second, Akihiko. Zero-One did not come in under his own power," one of the brutish G1's protested before stepping forward to confront Naruto.

"Trainee One-Nine, report," he barked sharply, heavy brows furrowed.

Naruto's face remained impassive as he thoroughly reported the entire episode from start to finish is crisp concise tones. The G1's were the least disciplined of all the Root members, a ill-fated attempt to make an army of bezerkers. They made excellent enforcers, but were known to have short tempers. Naruto did not want to rile up this giant of a man if he could help it. Atleast not with so many witnesses about.

"Giving assistance to the weak is for the weak. You should have left the trainee to die," he spared a sneering glance at Sai's unconscious form, "it doesn't look as if he will survive at any rate, and now you'll share his fate. Who is your commanding officer, runt?"

"That would be me," Tenzo said calmly from directly behind the large man.

Naruto didn't smile, but he did relax his posture a fraction, until Tenzo spoke again.

"It seems my subordinates have failed this test," he paused, unforgiving eyes taking them in and giving nothing in return, "But they yet live, an unusual occurrence. And they did best two trainees from a higher tier. Also unusual, if not exactly unexpected."

The big G1 had backed off quickly. Tenzo was one of the highest ranked ninja currently residing at the base and he had a reputation as someone not to be of the assembled full Root members eyed him with wary respect.

"I've decided," Tenzo went on after a moment, "Trainees Zero-One and One-Nine will assist on Mission #0692. That should temper them or reveal the fatal flaw in their make. Either way we will know. Akihiko! Ensure that they are properly briefed and provisioned."

"Yes, sir!" the bespectacled G2 responded promptly.

"One-Nine, take Zero-One to the medical facility then go rest. You depart in the morning at 0400. All of you are dismissed!"

A brief trip to the Med Center and Sai was on his feet, if a bit wobbly. The ninja working the center were not true Medic-nin, just those who had the necessary amount of chakra control to work medical jutsu, so there was no pampering or insisting that Sai stay and not over exert himself. The rain had just ceased falling when they walked out of the Med Center, which was near the center of the ravine, both vertically and horizontally. Akihiko was waiting for them and quickly handed them each a scroll before disappearing.

The two trainees walked back to their quarters, and Naruto was conscious of Sai shooting him glances. He ignored them, knowing his dark eyed partner was wondering why Naruto had saved him. It was almost unheard of, but the jinchuriki had a feeling that it would prove to be the right decision further down the line. Reaching their bunks, they crowded over a small desk with a lamp providing the only light in the room besides the stoked coals in the fireplace and poured over the scrolls.

When finished Naruto added a dry log to the fire and tossed the identical scrolls in and watched them burn in silence.

"So, Naruto," Sai asked quietly, they didn't refer to each other by their number designations, only the instructors and superiors did that, "ever been to Wave Country?"

Oh yes, Wave Mission cometh! But it's not what you think, not at all. I think you'll like it, cause its going to be a ride. This chapter was a long time in coming and it's my longest one yet. You might have to reread a bit to remember what the heck is going on. From what I've outlined the next two or three chapters will be a third again as big: over 20,000 words. I don't think you'll have to wait so long for the next one, but I've said that before. Give me your opinions. If there are some typing errors I apologize. I'm my own Beta and you can see for yourself how that's working out for me.

Next chapter: A lot more Naruto. A look in to see how Team 12 is faring and a bit of a surprise for our ladies. Should also find out what happened to Hinata and why. The Chuunin Exams are coming, so we'll get to see some fun battles, but not too many because they aren't that important.

Thanks to LT2000, Stalicon, and Moela for your help with the first part of the chapter. Visit and sign up for more discussion on Naruto Fan fiction!

Review my darlings, review. Tell me what I can improve on. How's my characterization? Is it consistent? What about descriptions? Flow? All that.