Forward: While this story is not a lemon per se, it will not shy away from said elements should the plot call upon it. That said, take this as forewarning. If you are easily offended by such material (and sorry about the initial misrating), just skip the prologue for chapter one. For the rest of you, I hope you enjoy.

A Kunoichi in Konoha
By: Ozzallos

Prologue

Life was good, Suko decided as he let his hand play along the silk of the woman's yakata, tracing every curve of her generous body. Sure, he was working for what amounted to a homicidal megalomaniac who would just as soon rip your face off in order to study the reaction as he would praise your work, but the pay was good. His hand wandered up her torso, easily reaching into the loose folds that encased her ample breasts. The hand then slid in, finding the fleshy nub it was looking for with a light pinch. The raven beauty's breath caught up suddenly and she relaxed into his chest with a slight shiver.

…Not to mention the benefits package.

Lustrous waves of jet black hair shifted as she leaned her head back into his shoulder while he worked, teasing the nipple gently. Her body heat radiate into him as she squirmed under his hands, fueling his own need in turn. Around him, the rest of his team were enjoying the benefits of the successful mission as well. Kiromura was enjoying the attentions of two women- a blonde and a brunette –while bald Nasi toked on a long pipe lazily. Sheba had already retired a back room to play with the boy toy she had found, and Cho…

Fucker's already passed out in his own vomit, Suko rolled his eyes at the sight of the unconscious mercenary, nearly a dozen depleted mugs of ale arrayed around his head on the table. His attentions at the prostitute's breast had stalled with the survey, causing her to protest by pushing her rear deeper into his lap. The nin smiled as his interest was forcibly drawn back to pale goddess in his arms. She smiled lazily and arced back far enough to nibble on his ear. The movement likewise ensured her considerable assets strained against the red and black silk that held them.

Oh, hell yeah.

If he wanted to be brutally honest, they had gotten lucky. Damn lucky, but then he had always been good at playing the waiting game. That was part of the reason Kabuto-dono continued to retain his services, after all. Under the right conditions, the Uchiha kid was a match for any one of them, if not all of them; conditions hadn't been about to oblige. The pompous child spent his team like tokens and once they had fallen—

Lick.

Liquid heat trailed down his neck as the woman's tongue played artful designs down the side. Her rhythmic breathing against his chest had turned into a subtle rocking motion, its slow, deliberate grind allowing him a taste of things to come just as her tongue already had. His boss may have been a monster, but he was a monster that acquired only very best. Equipment. Weapons. Women. The one in his lap for example- What was her name? Uni? Uno? –was easily half his yearly salary.

Per night.

Likewise the pair in Kiromura's arms. Goddamn if all of them weren't Oiran, and tonight he was about to see if half the things said about them were true…

…In a more practical setting.

The nukenin slid his toned arm beneath the woman's shapely legs and scooped her up, standing in one smooth motion. She smiled and let her head fall lazily back over his arms, affording him an excellent view of nearly everything she had to offer. The yukata draped loosely across her in its new position, its silken neckline hanging onto her erect nipples as if they were the last anchor to her body. Nor could it hide her exquisitely pale legs any longer, revealing she wore merely the barest of undergarments in the form of fragile string tied about her hips. Midnight sheets of black hair hung from the other end, framing a seductive smile. She licked her lips with purpose and his manhood surged, suddenly reminded of the promise that tongue held.

"Do everything I would do!" Kiromura leered from his corner, fondling his own women roughly as they shared Nasi's pipe. The four were probably smoking a years salary worth of high quality seed between them. On Kabuto's tab, of course.

"And more," He returned headily, his eyes only for the woman in his arms. Blue-grey irises held him for a moment then motioned for the curtained doorway toward the back of the room. There could only be one meaning in her lidded, smoldering gaze and there was no misinterpretation on Suko's behalf.

Ten minutes and several articles of clothing later, Suko had found out that tongue was everything it was promised to be and more. No matter how much she sucked, licked and teased, no orgasm was to be had; such was her skill. Her oral service clearly served one purpose only… to stoke the fire raging within his loins to molten levels.

Another almost-orgasm.

Her crimson lips pulled away from his manhood, inviting a shining strand of pre-cum to stay on her tongue. It glistened magically and the nin trembled as the unspent energy begged for release, while the woman- still on her hands and knees -slinked around him and onto the extravagant pillowed bed of their chamber. Suko's eyes remained glued to the cat-like movement, watching her pick a spot then roll onto her back, leaving him no doubt that he had picked the best courtesan in the house. She was flawless.

And completely his.

The black haired mistress uncrossed her legs slowly, favoring him with a lazy smile that only invited one thing. Normally he was good with his women. He serviced them and was in turn serviced. He had a reputation to uphold after all. But this woman… this completely sexual creature lying beneath him had transfigured his libido into white hot need. Her legs were wide open now, inviting. The artfully trimmed hair of her temple glinted with moisture and the nukenin finally broke, pushing forward with feral intensity.

A hissed breath met his abrupt entry, followed by a purring moan as he took her without mercy, plunging in with wild abandon. Suko's awareness no longer existed in the realm of conscious thought as his brain devote more of its resources to the need of the here and now. Control was a thing of the past. The woman's foreplay had already pushed him well beyond that. Now there was only tempo. Pounding. Her erotic wail. She was squeezing him from inside… the rhythmic massage was…

The tension building within his manhood peaked abruptly, pleasure uncoiling with sudden release. The entire room seamed to waiver with the sharp intensity as the peak spent itself and the aftershocks took over… Suddenly, he was aware of HER. Her pale skin glowing in the ambient lantern light. Her smell… The scent of sex wafting around him like a cloud, all but compelling him to dip lower and run his tongue across the light sheen of perspiration that had built on her skin. Its tip ran up her ribs and up onto the orbs of her breast. The taste was exquisite. The nukenin's mouth found her nipple and rolled it around his tongue before continuing its tour of her body. Even the sensual edge of her own ragged breath had caught his attention undivided attention, prompting Suko to ensure it continued in that manner my any means necessary.

And he was hard. So very hard.

In fact, his manhood had never really faltered. She had just continued to massage him from within as he licked her, fueling his need one more. Her slow rocking began in earnest, and this time it was the whore who controlled the tempo... This time the pleasure was sharper. More refined. He could feel everything she was doing down there. He watched her move in time with him, her exquisite breasts bobbing… Her carnal moaning doing indescribable things to him to his libido.

The tension mounted even quicker than before. Another peak, then absolute bliss.

The missing nin's eyes rolled into the back of his head as the newest tidal wave of lust and pleasure assaulted him. The reflexive aftershocks took over once again and he dizzied, yet she wasn't stopping. The pleasurable massaging within suddenly became a rhythmic pulsing, stoking the inferno's heat. She radiated lustin his eyes now as the pressure built again, her body taking on an absolutely ethereal sensuality. Her scent was ingrained into his memory like a drug, better than the finest seed imported from Wind country. He was high on her and she knew it, propping herself into a sitting position without ever leaving his rigidness unattended. The position was perfect. His lips trailed and sucked everywhere they could reach while she voiced her approval in a perfect symphony of desire. The woman brought her leg up and mounted it on his left shoulder, completely changing the dynamic of their activities. Blue gray eyes met his own. So gentle. So caring. Eyes for him alone. This woman wasn't a whore or courtesan.

She was a goddess.

The grind continued nonstop and she held his gaze through their intercourse. She moaned. He gasped for breath. Her hands had snaked around his back and began to touch discrete points along the length of his spine. After five such touches something ignited within the nin, exploding in a lust-fueled pyre. Suko's eyes were open but he was no longer truly seeing; the assault on his senses was now as relentless as his partner. She leaned into his chest, coming fully into contact with his body, changing his position within her again while bringing him closer to the edge of his third orgasm. The goddess fucking him rested her chin on his right shoulder, breathing. Warm. Moist. Ragged. Suko unconsciously synchronized with her. Her caress slid up along his back again, touching more points. Her left hand found his inner thigh and an accompanying line of invisible chakra. She pushed her own into it and the man stiffened quite suddenly. Her grinding continued and she whispered in his ear.

"I want you…"

A glimpse into the nin's brain would reveal endorphins being dumped wholesale into his brain as everything about the woman draped around him was indelibly etched into his memory, indefinitely associated with the most perfect form of pleasure that could be achieved.

Her leg slid off Suko's left shoulder and she guided him back onto the bed until he was on his back, assuming full control over their session. Her hands played across his body with absolute impunity now while the rocking continued to teeter him on the very edge of orgasm. The raven haired goddess, too, leaned into him, her perfect breasts flattening into his well defined chest.

The nukenin's face was nearly frozen in a trembling 'oh' and she whispered in his ear once more, hot breath caressing his lobe.

"I need you..."

Suko's own rasping moans began to escape his lips quite involuntary and his partner hastened her pace, transforming his hardness to ridged steel. Her tongue trailed down his neck, kissing him as she mirrored the actions that he himself had performed only minutes ago. Her lips found his right nipple and began to suck on it, tracing it with a hot, wet tongue before biting it lightly. The nin's entire body shuddered beneath her. The tongue transverse over to the right nipple, leaving moist skin in its wake. The goddess paused just before enveloping it completely.

"I desire you…"

Another tremble. Suko whimpered, shivering uncontrollably. The woman finished her suckling and rode him harder. She glowed in his eyes, completely bathing him in her wanton desire. The raven haired courtesan was perfection incarnate and he would do anything to remain in her presence. To see her. To smell her. To taste her. To have her fuck him like this every single night of every single day for the rest of his life, nonstop. Those blue gray-eyes held him completely. Her smile was knowing.

"I own you…"

She touched him lightly somewhere and the dam of pleasure that had been building for the last fifteen minutes didn't just break, it shattered, blasting a hole in his conscious that utterly and completely consumed him. Suko screamed. Maybe he screamed; he wasn't sure. All that he knew for certain was that the torrential waves of bliss continued to slam through his body. He bucked again as another orgasm wracked his organ, sending sparkling fire up and down the entirety of his nervous system. And still she wasn't stopping.

"I control you…"

Another scream. Another orgasm. The universe was composed of only two things in Suko's eyes: The goddess riding him into sexual oblivion and her commandments. She just wasn't a goddess. She was his goddess.

"YES, YES, YES!"

His goddess above him smiled sensually and touched him with a single finger.

All conscious thought was obliviated.

Nasi Ozawa was a conflicted man. Normally he was of the opinion that seed was better than sex. Seed didn't back talk. You couldn't get diseases from it, and on average, it was cheaper. The high lasted longer and he could take it anywhere.

But.

The bald nin contributed to the nebulous cloud around him, exhaling smoke with a contented sigh. But whatever that bitch the captain had taken was made of, he want some, and now had a damn near permanent tent in his fatigues to prove it. The last of their sounds had faded nearly a half an hour ago and he was still hard just thinking about it. Nasi was pretty sure the place had thick walls for soundproofing, but they might as well have been tissue paper against their vocal performance, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Any woman that could do that to their captain was something he wanted a piece of. The man was a stone cold fuck, and if a whore could get him to sing like that… Nasi shook the thought away and rubbed his head, fingers tracing along a jagged scar of pale flesh long since healed. Yeah, just this once, he decided, amending his rule on women versus seed. But until they come out…

He untied a packet hanging off his belt, loosening the drawstring that held its contents in check. His other hand dumped the ashen remnants of its previous load into a clay ash tray and brought the implement up, dumping half a dozen tiny tan seeds into the pipe's mouth. Nasi packed them in with a thumb and with the other hand retrieved a simple match, striking it against the table. He leaned the chair back on two legs, propping himself against the wall as the pipe lit and smoldered. Smoke coiled from the curved opening and the nukenin took a long drag. A contented look settled over his face.

Now that's the stuff… Nasi smiled and closed his eyes as a new hit flowed through his system. Quality shit. Gotta remember to thank scaly face next time I--

Motion caught his eye and he smiled as one of the back room curtains parted, admitting the fully dressed team commander. It was a knowing smile, crafted to patronize and congratulate simultaneously. "I hope you left some for me, bastard. Was it as good as it sounded?"

"Better," Suko produced his own wan smile, adjusting his olive drab chest armor. "She's an absolute goddess."

"Oh, ho, ho. High praise indeed," Nasi snorted, taking another drag from his pipe. "I think I'll take a shot at despoiling the goddess when she wakes up." A dark grin clouded his face, warping the scar. "Or maybe before. There's no rule that says they have to be awake, is there?"

The commander simply chuckled, then motioned to the small bag seed sitting on the table. "You know that shit will kill ya."

"This stuff?" The nin took it in hand, hefting its meager weight. "Since when did you get all—URK."

Suko's arm blurred and Nasi suddenly found a segmented blade sticking into his chest, through the chair and into the wall behind him. Blood poured wholesale from the wound, ensuring a permanent speech impediment. Under any other circumstance, the nin might have been able to dodge the blade and its thirteen individual segments that had lanced him like some exotic whip. Of course, coming out of the room in full combat fatigues and body armor should have been a clue as well, but he was on a seed trip, denied of the necessary reactions to avoid the commander's weapon. Without body armor to ablate the strike, there wasn't much he could do except die.

Thunk.

Suko's former teammate slid off the chair and managed to hold on to a sliver of consciousness until the commander flicked the chain blade back, gutting the man and reforming his weapon into a solid blade with a loud snap.

Red blobs dripped from the glinting sword, all but begging Suko to clean it from the wonderful blade that he had forged by hand. But no. He wasn't done quite yet. His goddess had asked a favor of him and he would please her.

"What the hell is all the—" A feminine crop of navy blue hair popped out of another curtained doorway, only to freeze as her brain tried to make sense of what she was seeing. Nasi was sprawled across the ground eviscerated, the wall behind his chair splattered in blood. Sheba recognized the wound and her eyes flicked over to her captain who bore the blade that caused it; blood dripping from it as well. The observation had taken a second and Suko used it, flicking the bastard sword up. All thirteen segments extended to their maximum length in moments, bisecting the room at a height of two meters as he attempted to rake his newest target.

The female kunoichi pulled her face back from the door barely in time to keep the flashing steal from cleaving her head in two.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Plaster sprayed into the bedroom she had rolled back into, a familiar snap sounding from the room just beyond. Sheba tightened her own yukata and retreated to the edge of the bed, grabbing her own gear while pounding on the wall beside her. The situation had become crystal clear. "Wake the fuck up, Kiro! That bitch got inside the Cap's brain!"

She didn't bother to wait for a response, tightening utility belt and clipping her combat harness into place. Her bedmate was forgotten, cowering in the corner. Instead of unsheathing the kunai that rested in the harness, she formed seal in her hands, flashing through a well worn sequence. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

The kunoichi took a deep breath and blew through the seal, releasing a gout of flame through the door and into the next room. The curtain separating the rooms was burnt to ash instantly while fire justu devoured everything before it. It was a simple technique, but given the close quarters, potentially decisive. Nor would she need uncanny accuracy to—

CRaCK!

The Kunoichi rolled right on pure adrenaline as Suko's whipping blade punched through the wall of fire and mere centimeters from her left cheek, imbedding itself into the wall behind her. For that single moment, she could see her own wide eyed reflection in one of the triangular blades.

Now was her chance.

She was the team summoner. If she could get one off before he pulled that damn blade of his back from the wall… She began to form the seals, catching a glimpse of the smiling commander through burning debris left over from her Katon. Now why the hell was he smiling?

The answer came swiftly as he jerked the blade horizontally. Her first reaction was to look back at the wall to ensure it was still imbedded. It was. Then what--? She turned back to the captain just in time to watch a wave form along the edge, curling toward her. By the time she realized her error, her head was free of her body, rolling on the ground while her upper torso emptying of blood.

Suko frowned, disappointed that his own team was being so easily dispatched. Of course, he did have surprise on his side, but… Movement burst from the opposite side of the room and he watched as a bandannaed nin rolled through his own doorway, unleashing a triple salvo of tagged kunai in his direction.

There was no time to recoil his own weapon and counter attack. Suko abandoned the hilt and rolled for cover behind a table, kicking it up just as the kunai buried themselves in the wall and detonated. The explosion within the confines of their room was deafening, but the commander's improvised cover absorbed most of the resulting fragmentation.

"Looks like Sheba-chan was right!" The other nin yelled from across the room, unsheathing a pair of tantos from his back. "The bitch mind-fucked you all good! Now I'm gonna have to kill—"

"You don't know the half of it."

He spun around and found the raven haired courtesan—quite obviously a kunoichi retrospect -leaning against the north wall to his left. Kiromura sneered, keeping one eye on his former comrade and the other on the harmless looking woman. "After I'm done killin' ol Suko over there I'm going ta introduce you ta rape hell, bitch."

"Mmm? Then there's something you should know about that," The kunoichi smiled lazily, shifting her weight subtly. The movement afforded the nin a better view of her curves while the black and red silk of her yukuat shifted as well, revealing yet more leg from the already high hemline. "You can't rape the willing."

She pushed off the wall lethargically and began to walk toward him, her entire form swaying seductively. Kiromura growled, bringing the twin tantos to bear. "That shit ain't going to work on… me?"

"And I'm quite willing."

She signed through a quick three part seal as she walked over to him. The nin's world twisted dramatically with the words, contorting and folding in upon itself. He felt sick, his inner ear telling him that gravity had somehow lost meaning. Something smelled; Putrid. It was horribly and… And the burning! Kiromura shook his head, reeling back a few steps. The effect worsened, causing him to loose his grip on one of the short swords.

"K…Kai!"

The effect lessened for a moment, then redoubled in intensity with the chakra release. He fell to his knees and promptly began to puke his brains out as the genjustsu began to burn out every one of his five overloaded senses. "What… the … I can't…"

The bandanna'd nin's breathing started to become uneven and gasping. He trembled as his sense of touched was plunged from extreme heat sensitive to frostbite and back. The world continued to turn inside out from his point of view, and any attempt to right himself ended with him flopping along the ground like a fish out of water. Less than a minute later, the nin was doing little more than spasming.

The kunoichi merely sauntered up to him, raise his chin and slit his throat with a tasseled kunai. The twitching stopped, blood bubbling from his neck. She continued on, turning to Suko as if she hadn't just killed the man. Her smile was one reserved for lovers. "You did very well, Su-ko-kun."

The remaining Nin's chest puff with pride. His goddess was pleased. Pleasure rippled through him. Suko's reply was just forming when another Kunoichi stepped through walkway from the outer hall with calm purpose in her step. The newcomer sported a long mane of blond hair, penetrating blue eyes and wearing gear considerably more battle ready than the woman she was reporting to.

"I dispatched the perimeter guards," She began without preamble, noting the woman's thrall and the destruction around them in a single glance.

"Excellent," The Kunoichi courtesan voiced her approval. "We've got what we came for. Make sure the help remembers nothing."

"On it."

The Blonde was already on her way and nin turned back to her thrall, running a long, jeweled fingernail down the length of his body armor. Even though she never touched his skin, Suko shivered anyway, almost missing her hair shift from midnight black to orange-red. Her eyes likewise took on definition from coal black to a sparkling blue. She was still his goddess regardless; absolute perfection. "Now come. Lead me to your master's lair."

Suko lead the way eagerly.

Chapter ONE

"Always two there are; no more, no less: a master and an apprentice."
-Master Yoda

"Teach it to me!"

Kakashi Hatake stared at the usually care free genin, his normally bright blond locks dulled by the downpour that had drenched the village for the last few days. All things considered, the gray skies and curtains of rain made for a fitting backdrop to the Third's passing. The more superstitious amongst them had already commented on how the foul weather was more than likely the heavens weeping at the loss of such a great man, though Kakashi himself paid them no mind. The Hokage's death was tragic enough in his opinion without the heavens deluging the village in their sympathies as well.

His single eye wandered from the sheets of rain just beyond to the overhand keeping him dry, then back to the drenched, determined boy. Naruto Uzumaki… Village prankster. Demon container. Academy dead last. Team Seven genin.

There was no doubt that the loss of Sarutobi was hitting the child hard. The man was probably the closest thing to a father for the boy, though that descriptive belonged to nearly half the village in the wake of the Nine Tails sealing thirteen years ago. Now the village's most revered elder was dead and like most of Konoha, his student was looking for justice. Kakashi sighed. As much as he wanted to help the boy, he couldn't give him the answer he wanted.

"No."

"Well why the hell not?!" The blond exploded predictably. "It was good enough for Sasuke!"

It was good enough for Sasuke, Kakashi admitted silently, if only because Sasuke had the only bloodline in the village capable of learning the technique inside a week's time… And the self control to handle it, the team lead amended as he observed the furious teen before him. I'll teach the boy, just not that.

Naruto Uzimaki simply held too many unknowns for him to risk teaching such an advanced technique to. If anything, failing to master the Chidori was just as lethal, if not more so and producing shadow clones. The only real way to screw up there was to produce too many and simply exhaust your life force. With the Chidori one split second's worth of inattention could find the user electrocuted on their own chakra or life force expended faster than pouring water from a glass. It required precise control; either through months of practice or via a bloodline that could properly harness it.

Naruto, sadly, didn't have either. Sure, he had the power. Anybody who could produce over twenty shadow clones and summon a giant frog could perform a Chidori, but then, Kakashi wouldn't have taught him how to produce those either. If there was one thing the boy was in dire need of, it was the basics and self control. Until then…

"The Chidori is not what you need now." Kakashi shook his head at the trembling youth. "We can practice—"

"If that bastard Sasuke can do it, so can I!" Naruto ranted, absolutely confident in his ability. "How can I help if you don't teach me?!"

Ah, the rivalry.

"No." The Team Seven lead returned with a note of finality in his voice. "When you're ready we'll talk. Until then, you practice."

Blue eyes burned into him defiantly and Kakashi, the boy opened his mouth, but stopped, failing to produce the bluster the one eyed nin all but predicted. "Fine."

Kakashi blinked. No boasting? No comments about being the best hokage ever? Just… Fine? The cerulean blue eyes regarded him fiercely for another moment before their owners turned about and walked back out into the rain. The pounding rain instantly enveloped the blond, who continued on course in spite of the drenching. Kakashi considered the uncharacteristic reaction for a moment and shrugged mentally.

No, Naruto wasn't ready for the Chidori any more than he was ready for the other high level techniques that he had somehow stumbled across and managed to survive. At the same time, there was balance to consider. Sasuke and Naruto were rivals. Let one get to far ahead and it would alienate or cause the other to stagnate. The Chidori was Sasuke's trump to the Shadow clones and there was little doubt that the Naruto would work his ass off to beat it.

Kakashi nodded slightly as the orange clad boy disappeared amongst the sheets of rain. After all, he knew better than most just how motivating a rival was.

Naruto Uzumaki was drenched, though the drenching was hardly noticed while his brain wrapped itself around the current dilemma he faced. In actuality, it was the same dilemma he had faced every waking day of his goddamn life: He wasn't being taken seriously. The villagers hadn't taken him seriously. Hell, half of them hated him outright and he didn't have a clue as to why until graduation. Sure, they didn't lift a finger against the old man's rule, but they didn't specifically need to. School? With the exception of Iruka-sensei, the instructors had merely gone through the motions, forcing him to go to extremes to get any reaction out of them whatsoever.

And now I'm getting screwed over again! He fumed as the last two weeks played vividly in his mind's eye. Kakashi was teaching Sasuke an advanced technique to help him in the exams and what was he getting? Jack. Not that I could have used the Chidori during the invasion, so sir.

Naruto ground his teeth with frustration. Practice. Sure. Bastard Sasuke couldn't walk up a damn tree his first mission either. Didn't see him having to practice.

"DAMMIT!"

Naruto's fist blurred into the nearest wall along the street, punching a modest hole in the masonry. The genin continued walking, completely oblivious to the pain, let along the droplets of blood mixing in with the rain water pattering around him. It was all getting old. So very, very old. He was going to the best Hokage ever, but this week had gone horribly wrong in so many ways that he was left wondering just how he was going to do it. And one-eye is doing his best not to help, the blond grumbled mentally. So how am I gonna get the learning I need to become the greatest Hokage ever?

Naruto Uzumaki paused in the rain. There was only one answer, really. Somebody else. The idea came as an absolute revelation to the boy, whose brain devoured the concept greedily. Kakashi isn't the only one in the village with cool techniques! I'll bet I can find somebody else! Gai sensei had a ton of taijitsu stuff. Asuma had to have some techniques and even Kurenai sensei couldn't be half bad.

Naruto nodded firmly to himself, his course of action firmly committed to memory. He couldn't afford to wait on Kakashi-sensei. He'd be ready the next time Konoha was in trouble.

"No."

Naruto nearly fell face first into the wooden floor boards of Maito Gai's with the word, the instructor's cheery demeanor having lulled him into a false sense of victory. "Well why the hell not?!"

"While I admire the potent fires of your youth, I cannot, alas." Gai shook his head, the smile turning into a frown. "First and foremost, you are my arch-rival's student! I could not stain our honorable rivalry in such a way."

"Look, all I need is something like those gates." Naruto tried to maintain his cool. "I won't say a word to one-eye! Promise!"

"Your burning passion indeed sways me, but I must yet decline." The green spandex clad instructor sighed. "The gates are dangerous, fatally so if not—"

"I need fatally dangerous!"

"Likewise, I have little time for more instruction myself." Gai continued unperturbed. "Between my cute apprentice, the team and various missions, I could not hope to add a forth protégée, were I willing."

"DAMMIT!" Naruto fumed, spinning on a heel and transversing to the nearest exit, whose door he slammed with a loud crunch. Gai winced and let out a sigh. For the boy to be that upset about his training either indicated that Naruto's passion for training was either white hot or…

Maiko Gai's frown deepened. Or that very passion was starving for lack of fuel. The self named team instructor eyed the door once more, now hanging slightly ajar and misaligned with its frame.

I may have to have a word with my rival about such matters…

"No."

Naruto Uzumaki nearly choked on the word as the red eyed female nin considered him passively, emoting neither happiness or sympathy. It was harder to get worked up around this pale, frail looking instructor, but he was working up to it.

"Come on! You gotta help me out!" He ranted plowing forward with the plea already in progress. "He's training my rival to learn lightning swords and leaving me out to dry!"

"Indeed…" Yuhi Kurenai let the slightest of frowns play across her lips. Everybody had seen the results of the technique at the tournament and there was little doubt that Naruto had the power to harness it effectively. Was Hatake being overly cautious? She shook the through away. It wasn't her place to second guess his instruction. "Regardless, I must decline. My obligations to Team Eight come first."

Harsh blue eyes clashed against passive red ones for a moment before prompting Naruto to snort. "Who needs a bunch of wimpy illusions anyway!"

Naruto turned on heel and was about to make a similarly righteous exit when a whisper stopped him. "Magen: Jubaku Satsu."

"Death wha—" Without warning, vines sudden sprouted from the mat floor, snaking along his legs and quickly rendering him immobile. Naruto began to panic as the vines encased him like a vice, coiling around his neck and constricting his air supply. "Kur-Kurenai sensei!"

The red eyed kunoichi sauntered over to him with a barely visible smile. To anybody else looking at the boy, he was merely standing in place with panic expression on his face. She could see a shadow of the thorny, ravenous vine that had enveloped Naruto. He could see the entire thing as if it were real. Kurenai raised her hand to the boy's neck, drawing her finger across her own larynx.

The unspoken message crystal clear and his struggling ceased immediately.

"I'll have to speak to Kakashi about his neglect of the Genjutsu arts." The instructor commented as if she were discussing something as mundane as the weather, dispelling the technique and freeing the blond from his paralysis. Naruto stumbled a few feet, clearly in shock. "But suffice to say, I cannot train you. Is there anything else?

Naruto boggled at the surreally calm woman before him. "N-No."

Yuhi Kurenai nodded. "Then have a pleasant afternoon."

She didn't even watch the boy leave.

"No."

"BUT YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO ASK!!" Naruto bit back testily, burning a hole into instructor before him who currently sported an easy smile in spite of his anger directed at his person. The man took another drag of his cigarette and shrugged.

"I've gotten word that you've been asking the other instructors to help bolster your technique." Asuma Sarutobi replied easily, rendering the boy speechless. "Sadly, I will have to reply in kind."

"You gotta be kidding me!" The boy continued his rant. He hadn't been in the guy's place for ten seconds before being turned down flat. "When is anybody going to cut me some slack!?"

The good natured smile faded slightly and Asuma, set the cigerrette in an ash tray. "You won't find the word slack and ninja in the same sentence, Naruto-kun."

"I know that! But—"

"And there are times when you will have to endure hardship to obtain your dreams." He continued, gently cutting the boy off. "There will be times when you are the only one you can count on to obtain those dreams."

The demon container's shoulders slumped. He clearly wasn't going to get the answer he wanted and he could hardly complain about the Hokage's death to this man. Instead, he settled for grumbling malcontent. "Thirteen years of it is getting damn old."

Like Naruto, there was little the instructor could comment on. Even he had to admit thirteen years was a pretty long dry spell without reprieve. In the end, there was still only one thing he could say.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun." He sighed, watching the blond's face turn to dejection. The boy turned his back on the instructor and walked out the door devoid of any positive emotion.

Damn it. Asuma Sarutobi chewed as the boy departed his office. He was really going to have to talk to Kakashi about this.

Naruto listlessly wandered the still largely empty streets of Konoha. Even though the rain had fallen off to merely a light sprinkle, most were still disinclined to take their activities outdoors, less so given the events of the past week. The village had gone from triumph in the chunin exams to nearly limitless despair as it had not only seen its beloved leader slain, but slain by one of his very own apprentices whose invasion had nearly succeeded.

It was a despair the resident demon container shared and more. He had just helped save the village from utter annihilation at the hands of a giant sand demon and there appeared to be only one thing he was going to get out of it… The shaft. He wasn't going to get trained seriously; he wasn't going to get respect. What he was going to get was overlooked and underestimated, just like the previous twelve years of his life.

Depression flowed through Naruto's being and there wasn't a damn person he could turn to for help. He had been turned down by every instructor. Sasuke would simply rub it in… Sakura…? An audible sigh escaped his lips. Much as he would like to think so, there wouldn't be any help in that corner either. The only man he would even think of turning too was dead. Warm flows of Chakra began to boil within him, responding to the depression.

He knew what was about to happen. He should probably resist it. It was a crutch. But he also knew today he needed that particular crutch. People would be kinder to him. Treat him nicer. For the next few hours, they wouldn't see the boy who contained the destruction of their village. They would talk to her like a normal person… Blue eyes fluttered closed and the nine tails chakra began to eat away his body at a cellular level. Breath was caught up in his lungs as muscles began to shift and realign. Body mass was added. Subtract. Shifted. He'd asked the old fox about it once, and during one of his less antagonist moments had replied, 'it's the nature of the beast'.

Now she knew exactly what that meant.

Had anyone braved the rain in that moment they would have wondered why there was a lithe, auburn haired girl standing on the street corner allowing herself to be soaked. The more keen observers might have questioned why she was wearing a baggy orange jacket and pants, usually associated with that of Naruto Uzumaki. She'd fix that shortly.

For now it was time to escape, like she had growing up.

If only for a little while.

"One pork Ramen!" Teuchi Yoshigama offered the steaming bowl of noodles up to the man across from him with a smile as his daughter prepared the next order. A spicy rice noodle and shrimp ramen. The smile was the same he normally wore, though it was especially important today.

It was the first break they had had in the rain, and he wasn't about to waste the opportunity in both business and morale. Times had indeed turned tough, but Konoha was tougher. Sometimes the young ones just need to be shown a smile and some hot food to realize that no matter how bad it got, there was light at the end of the tunnel.

…And a hot, delicious bowl of ramen waiting right there with it, of course.

His patron returned the smile and eagerly dug into the bowl of noodles as the stand proprietor swept the yen off the counter and into hand. All in all, Teuchi had to count his blessings. The pottery store directly across the street and bar two blocks down had seen serious action. Neither would be open for another two weeks. Fortunately for him, his humble establishment was far too small to be considered a tactical position during the invasion and had been spared the brunt of the street warfare.

His daughter handed him a new steaming bowl of noodles she had just put the finishing touches on. Even though there was only one other customer, he smiled the traditional Ichiraku Ramen Bar smile and called it out."Spicy Rice Noodle Shrimp—"

"O-hayoo, Gramps!"

The owner froze as the bubbly female voice rang through the street. His aging eyes searched for its source and wasn't disappointed, finding it dropping from the adjacent rooftop in the form of a beautiful young girl. She was about 162cm tall by his estimate, with flowing brown-red hair that settled gently about her as she recovered from the maneuver, hitting the ground in a crouch.

Show off, He hurmfed, but really couldn't help but to smile at the girl's antics. The teenager stood up, revealing a tee that hung just off the belly button and jean shorts that left enough of her magnificent leg to be displayed without stepping outside the bounds of modesty.

"Hi Ayame-chan!" She called out, causing his daughter to put aside the noodle strainer and blinked curiously. To her credit, the expression persisted only for a split second before recognition found its way to her face in the form of her own smile.

"Naami-chan! What a pleasant surprise!" She effused warmly as the girl stepped up to the noodle bar just right of the two patrons already present. The red head flashed them a smile, and they were more than happy to smile back. "It's been, what, nearly a year?"

The girl nodded. "About, I think. Just stopped by to see if you and gramps were okay!"

"Gramps!" Teuchi grumped mockingly. "Ungrateful little girl. And here I was just about to make you a bowl on the house."

"Eeep!" the redhead's eyes widened, clearly alarmed by the prospect.. "Was just worried about you, uncle. Auntie too."

"Of course, of course." The owner nodded as if it were a fact of life, but cracked a smile anyway and took her hand gently. "And how did you fair the invasion, Naami?"

The girl's smile faded ever so slightly. Nobody else would have picked up on the deeper meanings buried within the question and the girl's appearance at his stand all but spoke for itself anyway. "Not so well, I guess."

Teuchi simply nodded and his daughter picked up where the question left off. "Don't worry. You'll be fine. We can talk all about it later."

"T-Thanks, Auntie." Vulnerability shown through the façade of confidence with those words, words accompanied by a weaker version of the previous smile.

"I'd like that… a lot…"

Yuhi Kurenai turned off the main business artery of Konoha and onto the red brick laden back streets of the entertainment district. The main boulevard had seen extensive damage due to last week's action as attacker and defender had struggled to maintain control over the tactically vital thoroughfare. Store fronts were shattered. Craters littered the street. The pale nin reached up and pulled a random kunai sticking out at an odd angle from the wooden frame of a clothier she was passing.

And it didn't look like this area was faring much better.

Even so, it had obviously seen less action than the main areas, to which her stomach was largely thankful for. Invasions generated large amounts of paperwork, as did student injuries, and she was dealing with both right now. Classes were on hold for probably another week until Konoha could dig itself out and she was going to put that time to use by digging herself out from the deluge of forms. Let's not forget the tactical readiness report, after action debriefs, damage claim approvals… Yuhi sighed. It was definitely lunch time. Well past, she amended, judging the sun's position as something past two o'clock.

The invasion's activities had ensured most of her usual spots had closed either temporarily or in a very permanent manner due to combat damage. That left her choices to—

"O-hayoo, old man!"

Kurenai found her eyes invariable drawn down the street as a teenage girl seemed to flip through mid air and land in a crouch in front of the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. She watched as the redhead drew up, beaming a smile. "Hi Ayame-chan!"

"Naami-chan, what a surprise!"

Yuhi watched with slight surprise as the girl walked up to the bar itself, missing the initial greeting entirely in favor of studying her movement. She had flipped through the air like a nin. Landed like a nin. Even her walk up to the bar was vaguely that of a ninja…

…but after three years teaching at the academy prior to taking command of Team Eight, Kurenai was damn certain this girl wasn't one of theirs.

Which begs the question, where is she from? The pale kunoichi mused, her curiosity raised. If the elder Yoshigama and his daughter knew the girl, it was doubtful she was a threat, but with the invasion… Guess I'll have ramen for lunch, she shrugged, eager to solve the new conundrum this girl represented.

"Behave girl, or I'll have you back here cooking yourself!" The gruff old man's voice menaced as Kurenai approached, through the humor rang true in his voice.

"Oh no!" The girl gasped, her horror clearly exaggerated. "What ever shall I do, surrounded by all this delicious ramen?"

Even the red eyed nin couldn't help but to smile slightly. Waves of red hair obscured her face from her present angle, but the expression was obvious from her voice alone.

"What have you done father?" Ayame shook her head woefully. "You've doomed the family business."

"Hmmm, perhaps—Ah, Yuhi-san!" Teuchi smiled widely, noticing the female nin for the first time as she found a barstool… next to the girl named Naami. "Come to sample the best Ramen in Konoha? A seafood special, if I recall?"

"Not today, thank you." The instructor inclined her head gracefully while simultaneously noting that the girl had suddenly gone silent. "I was actually looking to talk to the young one here."

The girl eyed the nin with wide blue eyes, who was in turn studied herself by red ones "Eh, heh… Hi?"

"And what is you name, young girl?"

"Um, Naami." She was barely suppressing the squirming in her seat. "Do I know you?"

"Doubtful." Kurenai smiled. "Nor do I know you, and I'd like to think I know most of the ninja your age on sight."

Naruto's brain was screaming now as the red eyes scrutinized her, seeking answers she didn't have at the ready. She was quite literally a year out of practice for this level of duplicity. "Uh, heh! I'm not a ninja."

"Indeed." The kunoichi arched an eyebrow. "For not being a ninja, that was quite a flip from the roof top."

CrapOcrapOcrapOcrap… "I'm—"

"A tomboy." Teuchi cut in, sliding a seafood special toward the instructor. He waved away the questioning look on her face. "It's on the house, Yuhi-san. Consider it a thanks for what you and your fellows have done for all of us over the last week."

"My thanks, then." The nin smiled, accepting the bowl and chopsticks.

"Now where was I?" The proprietor wondered aloud, scratching his chin. His daughter was more than happy to oblidge.

"Naami's a tomboy."

"Hey!" Naruto took her cue and protested.

"Naami would like to think herself a ninja more than anything." Teuchi shook his head with exaggerated regret. "Lord knows her stunts are enough to give me heart attacks at times."

"Don't be mean, Uncle!" Naruto pouted falling deeper into the role the old man was leading. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he had helped her fend off some fairly uncomfortable questioning. "It's not my fault!"

Kurenai watched the friendly banter and dropped her guard slightly. If old man Yoshigama was conversing so easily with the girl, there really couldn't be anything to worry about. The man and his restaurant might as well have been part of Konoha's bedrock.

His daughter took over the conversation as another customer arrived to occupy her father. "Naami's parents are farmers outside of Oskat. They couldn't afford to send her to the Academy, not that it stopped her."

"I think see now." The instructor nodded. It was a common occurrence and wholey believable. Unless you had a bloodline that would get you sponsored or patrons with deep pockets, Ninja Academy wasn't exactly a fiscal convenience for most people. Especially for rural farmers with other things to worry about, such as crops and livestock, she appended mentally.

Kurenai turned back to the girl with a light smile. "I have to admit, that was quite an impressive maneuver without formal training."

The girl was now glowing with praise. "Thanks!"

The red and white clad nin noted the preening and filed the fact away for later examination. "And what do you know of chakra, Naami-chan?"

Naruto didn't miss the discreet look 'Uncle' Teuchi flashed her from the side. Watch yourself. "Um, not much. I can walk up a tree. Duplicate myself. Nothing compared to a real ninja."

"Quite a repertoire regardless," Kurenai commented while politely consuming her Ramen. Her chopsticks unconsciously found the fishcake that had been evading capture. "From passing nins?"

"She'd pester them until they gave up their secrets." The owner rolled his eyes, only to have Ayame step in.

"He means she was entirely too charming for her own good." The daughter smiled.

Kurenai gave the girl an appraising look and didn't doubt Ayame's words for a moment. Or Teuchi's for that matter. She was certain that the girl could be very convincing when it came right down to it. This Naami was definitely charming… The fact that she was this accomplished without formal training indicated she had drive as well as confidence. Maybe…

"Will you be here later, Naami-chan?" She probed lightly. "Perhaps lunch tomorrow?"

"Um, well I only came by to see how Auntie and Uncle were doing." The red head returned, trying to keep the pensiveness from her voice. "I was planning—"

"If it helps, I'll reimburse you for any wages your absence creates for your family."

The redhead was left blinking now. Even the owners had stopped what they were doing. "I… guess? Why?"

"I'd just like to talk." Kurenai smiled easily and finished off the last of her ramen. She set her chopsticks aside and stood up. "Thank you again, Yoshigama-san, Ayame." She nodded to Naami. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah?"

"Excellent." The nin backed into the street. "Ja-ne for now."

Naami-Naruto waved her cheerfully off, only dropping the smile in favor of relief as she rounded a corner out of sight.

That had been too damn close.

Kakashi usually wasn't one to sweat, or otherwise emote any sort of apprehension. His expression was usually one of practiced boredom, as if life itself held no further surprise for the man. The effect was only enhanced by the fact that the only eye visible was helping to create an air of indifference.

This afternoon, however, that one lazy eye was quite animated, flicking back and forth between three separated individuals. "All three of you?"

Two ninja and a Kunoichi nodded, emphasizing the point. Gai pressed the reason for their mutual visits home first. "He seems quite adamant, my glorious rival."

"And to be honest, the request may have merit," Kurenai added softly. "When confronted by a high level jutsu, Naruto-kun simply froze."

Asuma took a drag of his cigarette and smirked. "Is that what you're calling the Jubaku Satsu these days?"

The kunoichi's pale visage blushed slightly but she remained silent against the charge while the green beast's chuckle filled the gap. Kakashi simply shook his head. "That isn't exactly a basic technique to be using on genin."

"I think her point, my eternal rival," Gai followed up, "Is that regardless of how hopeless the situation was, he should have at least attempted to do something."

Asuma took another puff from his cigarette, leaning into the table all four now sat at. "If the boy wasn't any prouder than he already is, I get the distinct impression he would have been on his knees pleading for more training."

The one eyed instructor watched the unanimous agreement from his peers and sighed. "I can't teach him what he wants… Rather, I won't."

"Won't?"

Kakashi nodded. "Naruto-kun should have never been exposed to the high level techniques he already knows, frankly." The light haired nin let his words sink in. "Let's not forget why he was paired with Sasuke and Sakura. He was last in his class. While he has more than enough potential- especially with his… passenger –he needs the basics. Badly. I will not teach him yet another S-Class technique until he makes more headway."

"He spoke quite a bit on Sasuke…" Gai prompted and Kakashi shook his head.

"Who has a bloodline that can handle the training." The one eyed nin continued. "I'm sure you're all aware of the cursed seal by now?" Nods were returned to him. "Teaching him the Chidori was less for the chunin exams and more for his own protection. Unlike Naruto, he at very least has the basics."

"Truly, he was able to quench the fires of my cute apprentice." Gai agreed solemnly. "But I sense perception is everything in this particular rivalry."

Kakashi cocked his head. "Explain.

"While I would tend to agree that Naruto should not have been exposed to such techniques so earlier," Asuma picked up where Gai left off. "The fact remains that he has. More over, he was self taught. His rival is receiving official training in powerful techniques; Naruto has had to dig and scrape for his."

"Not exactly a healthy rivalry," Kurenai observed softly, almost to herself.

"It's the best I can do." Kakashi stated. "While grouping the best of the class and the worst of the class is tradition, it also has put me in the unenviable position of grouping the village demon container and the last of the Uchiha line together. To say that there have been issues is putting it lightly..."

"Regardless of the external pressures, I have my doubts that the status quo can be maintained much longer, Kakashi-kun." Gai frowned.

"Perhaps." The white haired nin finally acknowledged. "But until the situation stabilizes, this will have to be the way it is. The council has always been uneasy about training Naruto."

"And with my father gone…" Asuma mused, making the vital connection.

The village council had been less than thrilled when the Third had allowed his meager training to continue forward, less so with each technique he acquired, undoubtedly. Nor were they exactly secret about their opinions. Training the demon container in the ninja arts was tantamount to sleeping with the enemy in their opinion. Sarutobi had undoubtedly shielded Kakashi from a majority of that pressure, but now…

"Hmmm…" Gai rumbled, making the same connection that Kurenai had likewise made with Asuma's comment. "Then should you need assistance…"

Gai Maito left the remainder unspoken, to which Kakashi nodded.

It was the best he could do.

Naruto Uzumaki scrubbed down a bowl beside Ayame, sighing. "And he wouldn't even give me the time of day. I mean, isn't the whole point of putting the last of the class with the first of the class to improve my skills?"

The daughter of the owner considered the redhead's words thoughtfully, falling into a role she had adopted toward the girl years ago, that of an older sister. "Maybe there's another reason?"

"Not sure, Onni-chan…" The girl otherwise known as Naami shrugged, dunking another implement of ramen consumption into the warm dishwater. The old man had put her to work, but she didn't mind. She had Ayame to talk to and that was what was nice. There were damn few people in her life who could just be there for her. "I mean, I know Sasuke's gotten hicky on his neck and all, but it's been that way since the beginning…"

"I thought you said it was a deadly curse?"

"I guess…" Naami sighed into the soap. "It's just getting old. He gets everything and I get nothing. Hell, I saved the village from a giant sand raccoon!"

Ayame's own dishwashing ground to a halt. "Was… that you as… the fox?"

"Yeah! I stopped the stupid—" Something in her part-time sister's voice triggered a light bulb in her head, prompting a frown. "Oh… OH. I mean, shit!"

"Language, Naami-chan." The daughter admonished, to which the redhead blurted an apology through the revelation. "But yes, two giant monsters fighting on the forest's edge created more than enough of a stir. The fact that one of them was the fox from thirteen years ago…"

The bowl slipped from Naruto's grasp, plopping into the dishwater. Her eyes were wide. "I'm a complete idiot! The stupid frog just said to imagine something with claws, and I--!" The girl lapsed into silence, staring into her reflection through soap bubbles. "I can't even save the village without screwing up… Maybe… Maybe Kakashi-sensei is right… Maybe I just suck so bad that he can't train me…"

Naami's eyes began to moisten. She had probably had the very people she had sworn to protect and someday lead running all over the place in terror, thinking two monsters were about to descend upon them—

Before she could descend further into depression, a pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a gentle hug. Naami found Ayame looking upon her with an equally gentle smile. "Thank you, Naami-chan."

"But…"

"But you saved the village, girl." The gruffer voice of Teuchi piped up from behind them as he pulled the back room curtain aside. He untied his smock, a sure sign that the last patron of the night had left. "So you scared us all silly. We're alive and that is what counts."

"I… I guess…" Naruto smiled weakly as the owner of her favorite ramen stand scruffed her hair.

"You did very good regardless of what your sensei says." The daughter added with a smile. "Maybe use something else next time though… Maybe a cat?"

"I'll try." The girl returned, grabbing her next dish and scrubbing it with renewed vigor.

Author's Notes; At this very moment, somebody is saying 'What the hell?' but that's okay. Given my normal fanfic material, writing this shouldn't come as a surprise and i hope the rest of you enjoy it. In case it isn't obvious already, this is a fem!Nartuo fic and just to head it off at the pass: I can most certainly guarantee there will be no Naruto-Sasuke match. Anything beyond that is up in the air atm, though I'll try to be semi regular with updates.

Red vs Blonde: Struggled with this one for a bit, and even put a poll up on FFF to help me decide and Naruto-chan's appearance. On one hand you have blonde, which every reader can relate to because of its use in the Sexy No Jutsu technique. On the other hand, Naruto uses the aforementioned technique. A lot. Enough to make it hard to justify the use of it in a plot that uses his gender change as a psychological hiding place. Red, however, is not as easily reader identifiable, but is tons more justifiable in terms of plot. It also does the job of not making him immediately recognizable, as opposed to tying her to her mother's genetics. In the end, red won out since I couldn't justify blonde. Incidentally, the fff poll favored red 60-40.

The Sexy Kunoichi: While this fic is not a lemon per se, it won't shy away from the material if I find the situation appropriate lie, a mission requiring the subversion of an enemy operative with high level information.

Special thanks to The Great Naruto Timeline for event chronology and TFF for the conversating. Adding this late because it was 3am when I posted; This fic lives soley because of a select few who saw this on my ffnet crap space and the tff spam thread.