Naruto 1. Chapter 1

Just a quick note for now, and I'll mention it again at the bottom. Looking for beta readers on this story. Either drop into one of my forums or shoot me a private message/email if interested.

First Kunai : For the Swarm

"Creatures fear what they do not understand. It is the same for a single gnat as it is for even a shinobi; a death dealer. Hence why despite being feared, the swarm will always live on, for we are many and they are few. And they will never understand us."

- Aburame Shino, Second Battle of Kyohama to a unit of Aburame scouts.

He always respected logic. Logic by its very nature is very hard to misunderstand, being the basis of reasoning itself. Logic was what defined one's actions as correct or incorrect, depending on the situation at hand. To be able to draw inferences of the situation in question and then choose the correct course of action. Emotions or sentimentality only got in the way, often leading those astray from their true goal, and causing undue suffering as a result, either to one's self or to others.

He also know that among Konoha shinobi, he was one of the few who believed in the absolute truth of logic. The others allowed themselves to be led by their beliefs and 'feelings', often making situations worse than necessary, or leading to mistakes that one would avoid if they had kept a cool head. His comrades in arms knew him to be quiet, cold and systematic, often treating him as if he were some sort of strange machine rather than one of their own. He did not blame them for this reaction. To them, his thought patterns were unknown and in the shinobi world, unknowns often led to threats, and threats must be dealt with as such.

So for the life of him, he could not understand the logic behind his sitting outside the Hokage's office at such a late hour. He frowned beneath his white featureless porcelain mask, not that any would see it, or imagine it. He had been summoned by the Hokage to her office close to an hour ago, yet had been told to wait outside. He sat back in the chair, his body immobile as he closed his eyes beneath the mask. She must have a mission of some sort for me... yet to keep me waiting like this... He shook off that thought immediately, noticing that his weariness was starting to seep into his thought patterns, already beginning to meddle with his logical ability.

It was then that the door to the Hokage's office opened and out walked a familiar face. He stood immediately and snapped to attention. "Commander Nara." His voice was even and calm as he watched his superior officer scratch under his left arm.

The man turned and looked at him with a drowsy-eyed expression, his pineapple shaped hairstyle bobbing once as he squinted his eyes in an attempt to recognize him behind his Anbu mask. His eyes flickered for a moment before the man sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Hey Shino." He paused for a moment as he let out a large yawn, "I'm guessing you're here to see that troublesome woman?"

Shino lowered his hand before giving a small nod. "That is correct." And that was all that needed to be said. He held no illusions that the man before him had sensed his presence as soon as he sat down on the bench outside the Hokage's office.

Shikamaru merely shrugged. "Sorry, our meeting went longer than either of us intended. Sorry to hold you up, and even sorrier to be in your shoes."

Shino merely looked at his Commanding officer for a moment before nodding. "It is not a problem Commander."

Shikamaru frowned at the sound of his rank leaving his old classmate's mouth. He looked Shino up and down for a few more moments before letting out a sigh. "Whatever. Take care Shino." He says, turning to walk away with a half-hearted wave over his shoulder.

Shino watched him for a moment before that part of his brain he never like to acknowledge made itself known. "Shikamaru." The Anbu commander turned and looked over his shoulder at Shino's call. "Get some rest, you look exhausted." After all, it wouldn't do at all to let his superior exhaust himself and be unable to discharge his duties.

The shadow user smirked before turning away again and walking away. Shino watched him leave for a few more moments, wondering if his Commander and former classmate would actually take his advice before the logical part of his brain informed him he was keeping the Godaime waiting. He turned and entered her office, closing the door behind him out of habit. He stood before her desk and saluted. "Hokage-sama, you have called for me?"

She raised her head from the paper she was reading and he once again wondered how long it would be before she chose the sixth. The wrinkles and signs of old age were even starting to show through her genjutsu that she kept active every time that he had been in her presence. The signs of weariness and hidden pain were clear to his eyes, but as per usual he said nothing. The pain she suffered was personal, and he had no business butting into the private affairs of others. That's more of Naruto's job anyway. He thought in slight amusement before she raised her eyes to look at him directly. He clamped down that line of thinking immediately as he awaited his orders.

After all, in the Hive of Konoha shinobi, he was a warrior and she was the Queen.

"Ah, Captain Aburame. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Her voice betrayed her, he idly noticed, the sounds of the lack of sleep evident in her tone. He considered offering the same advice he offered Shikamaru earlier but knowing that it would not be appreciated in a similar manner, he kept his mouth shut.

"It is not a problem Hokage-sama."

She looked at him, as if mildly amused at his response, but why she would fine his answer amusing escaped him. She continued on, "It seems our resident shadow walker had quite a bit of intel to report back to me and our meeting ran long. I know you find no offense but I apologize regardless." She looked at him, a measuring look in her eye that he could not decipher, so he reacted the way he reacted best in her office. He remained dead silent.

Somehow sensing he wasn't going to say anything, Tsunade merely stretched her arms above her head before letting out a small yawn of her own. At least she had the grace to at least cover it with her hand, unlike the Anbu Commander. She finally held out a piece of paper for him. "I have a mission for your team Captain. Take it."

He slowly reached out and took the paper from her hand, a nod showing his acceptance. He raised the paper and read with quickly. He reread it before handing it back to her. "This will not be a problem."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at him, causing him to wonder if he had slipped and allowed pride into his voice. He wasn't egotistical, and he never meant to flaunt his abilities, but every now and then it slipped into his voice when speaking of his team.

After all, logically they were the best reconnaissance team in the Anbu.

"You just returned from a mission. You're not concerned that I'm already ordering you back out." Her voice showed slight amusement.

He fought the urge to shrug. He was in front of the high commander of Konoha, such disrespect went against all he knew. "True. Though I doubt my team will have serious problems with it." He didn't care in the slightest himself, but somehow he knew that Tsunade was more concerned with other members of his team.

"I see." She said, as if only half listening. He once again tried to read her but even when distracted her body language revealed nothing that she did not wish for him to know. "The Four Drifters indeed." She raised an eyebrow at his lack of reaction to the name that had been given to the team he captained, but he was unfazed by her words. His team had many names given to them: Drifters, Outcasts, Freaks, etc. Drifters was actually one of the nicer names, or at least one of his subordinates insisted it was. "I still find it interesting that one so young as yourself and the rest of your team have become the top Anbu."

Shino said nothing, though a voice in the back of his head told him that she was trying to get something out of him. Not just a reaction to her evasive-praise, but something more. "It is not inconceivable considering who the current Commander of the Anbu is."

Her face fell at his comment, and once again he realized that she was trying to get something out of him. His logical response cut off that avenue of questioning but the longer this laster, the more he felt he knew what she wanted to know. After all, it was not the first time she had questioned him on it. "Look Aburame, you know what I want to know. Can we cut the bullshit Captain?" There was a edge in her voice that booked no argument.

He knew that playing dumb in this case would not work, a little voice in his head telling him that he could get away with it were he not of the Aburame clan. Seeing no logical way to get out of the situation, he merely replied evenly. "I cannot tell you Hokage-sama."

She seemed to glare at him as if he were Orochimaru reincarnated after he spoke those words. "Oh? Could you explain that?"

He merely returned the gaze, only slightly unnerved by the fury in that glare. He had been exposed to worse of course, but she WAS his leader. "To explain it fully would possibly place a member of my team in a dangerous situation. Their ability is uncharted, and should word of it get around to Konoha it would make them many enemies." He chose his words carefully, the odd sense of protectiveness that he felt when speaking to or of his team working alongside his logical thinking.

She seemed to calm at that, considering his words. He suspected she knew she would get nothing more out of him than that, and he could see the gears in her mind turning to try and decipher who exactly Shino spoke of. Finally she gave a sigh before leaning back in her chair. "You are a tough nut to crack, Aburame Shino." He idly wondered if he should thank her for the praise but remained silent, trying to decipher what hidden meaning her words held. She seemed to notice his discomfort, even if he didn't recognize it for what it was. "Do not worry about it Captain. It just goes to prove something I've been thinking about for many years."

Shino looked at the Hokage, who was now no longer looking at him but rather out the window. She seemed to be waiting for him to respond. "Which is?"

She only shakes her head and though he can't see her face he can sense it has a smirk there. He somehow had the feeling he was the butt-end of a private joke but allowed the thought to slip from his mind as she spoke. "Over the years I've been alive, I've noticed something about those in our profession." She paused for a moment, as if considering how she wanted to word her thoughts before continuing. Shino got the impression that she was speaking her private thoughts to him and decided that he should consider what was to come. "It seems to me that the more skilled a shinobi becomes, the more... let's call them personality quirks for now, they develop. I assume it has to do with the extra stress of difficult missions."

Shino found himself frowning at her words. "I do not understand."

She seemed to delight in his confusion before turning in his chair, giving him a look that reminded him of one he received from the Matriarch so long ago. "Personality quirks... or mental problems that manifest themselves as such. For instance, Hatake Kakashi's... obsession with Jiraiya's books when he was alive, despite never showing any sort of sexual attraction to anyone or anything. Haruno Sakura's constantly twitching fingers. Mitarashi Anko's," she paused for a moment before saying, "actually, you probably don't know who she was... Anyway, her need to always disturb everyone around her if she could. Sarutobi Asuma's chain smoking, despite the fact the cigarettes he smokes hold no nicotine. Shizune's increased levels of obsessive compulsive disorder. We can even examine your own team with ease if you so wish."

He frowned at her suggestion, not liking where this conversation was heading. "My team is reliable, Hokage-sama."

She only smiled at him as if he were some sort of confused child. "Bring anyone who thinks otherwise here. I will show them the error of their thinking." She let out a sigh before turning towards her window again. "Perhaps it is too late in the evening to be considering such things. You have your mission orders Captain Aburame. You are dismissed."

"Yes Hokage-sama. My team will depart in the morning. By your leave." He said, once again raising his hand in a salute. She merely waved him off, turning in her chair to look out the window in the office overlooking Konoha. He said nothing more, merely turning around and leaving her office.

-

As Shino walked away from the Hokage tower he found himself reflecting on what Tsunade spoke of. He dismissed her worries, finding them illogical as many skilled shinobi developed no such tendencies. That being done, he called to several of his allies to come forth. He felt his allies bursting through his skin and crawling up to the open space in his uniform before taking flight before his eyes. He smirked as he watched over his specially bred Kikai bugs, raised for a single purpose and still in the experimental phase.

Those not of his colony often wondered how he communicated with his tiny, yet infinitely useful allies. The Aburame were a mystery to all, save themselves, and that was the way they preferred it. No one else needed to know the secrets of the colony. The truth was that he didn't really know the difference between speaking to his bugs and speaking other shinobi; to him they were the exact same. "Find the others. You know what to do." He said quietly. The three brightly colored insects seemed to bob and weave, similar to how a person would nod, before buzzing off in three different directions.

The Kikai he sent were what he referred to as 'messengers'. Not practically useful but developed as a way to catch the attention of those he commanded. Eventually, he would have them trained enough to actually convey messages to non-Aburame by having them fly in patterns forming words or something along those lines, but for now his team knew that if they ever saw those bugs, and they would see them even if the bugs had to wake them up somehow (Uzumaki had testified that they were VERY creative in how they did this), it meant that they were having a mission the next morning and to prepare accordingly. Surprisingly, it had been Naruto who had given him the idea and unlike most of the hyper blond's ideas, it actually had merit.

He then sent a normal Kikai back to the hive ahead of him, to inform the Matriarch of his mission. He would not dare use one of his messenger Kikai for such a task, as the Matriarch could easily understand any Kikai who spoke to her and he held no doubt that should she see the brightly colored Kikai, that she would find it both 'charming' and 'amusing'. Having no desire to inform the Matriarch of his special allies until they were more practical, nor listen to the possible mockery of such an idea, he only used them on members of his Anbu team.

His task completed, he allowed himself a relaxing walk back to the hive, knowing full well that the days to come would be tiring. As he walked, he found himself thinking back to the words spoken to him half-heartedly by Tsunade. He still found her words somewhat illogical, if not biased to her point of view. However, he decided to do as his former sensei had instructed him to do a long time ago, back when he was still Genin. He could still remember the exact conversation.

"Shino, allow your mind to drift aimlessly for a few moments each day."

"Why?"

"Logic is an excellent thing, both for shinobi to have as well as civilians. However, not everything will bow to the laws of logic. If your mind is inflexible to obscure ideas, it could hurt you in the long run."

"..."

"Consider it an order if you have to." She said with a sigh.

"... As you wish..."

He took that advice long ago and did as instructed. He rarely does it anymore, never truly understanding his former sensei's order. His mind drifts upon the Hokage's words, idly wondering where she drew such conclusions.

After a few minutes he sighs, somewhat defeated as her logic seems to make sense, now that he has taken the time to actually consider it. Hatake-san's and Mitarashi-san's... habits were well known, to the point where people accepted them without a question anymore. He had not known of Haruno's twitching, but to be fair he hardly saw her, let alone spoke to her. Nor had he known of Asuma-sensei's lack of nicotine. He often had wondered how the man wasn't suffering from some sort of lung cancer at the rate he smoked.

What truly began to trouble him is that he could see the habits of others she had not mentioned. He knew Kurenai-sensei possibly suffered from minor bibliomania, having only seen her home once to deliver a message. He would never have pictured his sensei as such, but upon seeing a tower of books collapse as she opened her apartment door, he merely filed in away in his brain. How Tenten had developed the distinct habit of picking her nails with kunai or senbon needles whenever she was nervous about something, which apparently was quite often. Hyuuga Neji had developed the odd habit of walking around Konoha with his eyes shut and Byakugan inactive, walking as if a blind man but somehow able to navigate without problems.

Then there was the duo of Maito Gai and Rock Lee. He inwardly shivered before moving on. There was no need to think of those two. They were practically exhibits A and B if Tsunade ever needed to prove her theory.

He moved on to his own team and found himself frowning. Inuzuka Nekoi was suitably balanced. At least he could find no direct faults with her. She was at least easier to deal with than her older brother Kiba, despite having known the Inuzuka-nin from his genin days. She was actually very quiet and calm for an Inuzuka, something he had struck down as an odd but welcome change from his expectation. He often wondered what her mother had thought to name her, a member of the Dog using Inuzuka clan, with a feline-like name but judging by the way she almost never spoke of her clan with words of praise, he imagined it wasn't a story that he had the right to know.

It was easy to see Uzumaki's traits, but hard to distinguish if they truly were faults or just another one of his masks. Shino had always known something was... different about his classmate but had never really taken the time to think about it prior to the war with Sound. It was then that he was forced to work with Naruto more often than one would anticipate, and he began throwing away the preconceptions he held on to for so long with first-hand observations. He learned to see through the blond's cleverly created masks of stupidity and happiness, to see the young man's inner-self. He had not known of Uzumaki's... condition prior to inducting the blond into his Anbu team after the war, but after learning of it he could understand why the blond acted the way he did.

He idly mused that Naruto would give any therapist nightmares if they were to analyze him completely.

However, Naruto wasn't the one who was the most unbalanced at all. He knew of Hinata's problems, and he knew it was not normal, yet no one that knew of her... dysfunction knew how to deal with it. Shino immediately cut his mind off from those thoughts, becoming slightly disturbed at the path his mind had taken. He shook himself free of his unusual bout of 'mind-wandering' as he began to file his thoughts of what would be needed to prepare for the coming day.

It is to be noted that he never bothered to analyze himself. After all, what would be the logic in that?

-

The world of the waking came to him as it usually did, abrupt and without warning. He frowned, as he always did, with his body's sluggish morning movements. He rubbed his eyes with his fingers for a moment before rising from his bed and going through his morning preparation. He dressed in his Anbu uniform, his mind already on auto-pilot as he began to examine his surroundings. He quickly threw his customary coat on over his Anbu gear, making sure he still had easy access to all his armaments before raising his sleeve to the mound near his bed and issuing a silent order. He watched as a small swarm of insects dug its way through the dirt and fly upwards into his sleeve, traveling further along his arm until he could feel them once again digging into his skin. He had always found the sensation unnerving, despite the lack of reaction to it. He doubted he would ever truly get used to it.

He quickly grabbed his katana, strapping the blade to his back. It was customary for Anbu to carry such blades, even if they never actually used them. It was mostly ceremonial and in the rare cases where one would have to decapitate a fallen foe to bring his head back as proof of a kill. Shino however, while never relying on the blade, knew better than to lose his chance to improve. After several months within the shadow ops of Konoha, he had easily gained a solid skill in the blade. After all, its merely another tool to be used.

He only gave himself a quick check, finding nothing amiss, before placing his mask over his face.

As he leaves his private cavity, Shino is surprised to find somewhat waiting for him. He stopped before his visitor and exchanged nods before he finally asks, "Father, what brings you here?"

Aburame Shibi merely regards his son quietly behind the perpetual sunglasses that all Aburame warriors wore. It was more of a necessity than anything else, as the colony's Hive was underground and venturing into the world above without protection after living in darkness for so long could cause serious damage to the eyes of the swarm. Shino waits in silence, knowing his father well enough to know that he has something to say, and will say it when he feels like it.

Finally the older man places a hand on his son's shoulder. "The Matriarch received your message last night. She sends her blessings with you."

Shino nods. "Please inform Grandmother that I am thankful for her words."

Shibi gives his son a nod and once again Shino can tell he wants to say something and waits. Finally the older man allows a small smirk, with to Aburame's is the equivalent of a full-blown grin. "You have done well my son. The Colony knows you as one of our best warriors. Even the Matriarch acknowledges your strength." He pauses for a moment, what little expression on his face leaving it. "Know that I, and your mother as well, are very proud of you."

Shino is very thankful at that moment for his Anbu mask, for he knew that he would betray his shock at his father's words. He felt something in his chest bubble for a moment before his mind crushed the inner voice of pride from taking control. "...I see. I am flattered."

Shibi only nods, not expecting any sign from his son in regards to his words. "Good luck on your mission. Return to the Hive safely." He then patted his son's shoulder one last time before turning away and walking further into the darkness of the Hive. Shino watched him go for a moment before shaking his head. He filed his father's words of praise away for later reference. His father, or any of those of the Aburame, rarely gave praise to others. So, once again fighting that inner voice of pride within his head, the young Aburame warrior began walking towards the entrance to the Hive.

He passed the Kikai incubation grounds, where the drones of the colony took great care in raising the young Kikai. He had often felt the term drone was unfair to his kinsmen; this was reinforced when his Genin teammates had learned of how the non-shinobi Aburame were referred to, although the truth of the matter was that it was simply the best term for them. They were the equivalent of the worker ants, who worked tirelessly for the continued survival of the colony. He gave them the respect they deserved, as he held no doubt that none the colony warriors could keep the Hive running without them.

He paused as he reached the Hive entrance, waiting for the sentries to come forth and reveal themselves. He merely held out his arms and waited, knowing it wouldn't take long for the sentries to reveal themselves and confirm his identity. The Aburame may not have been a Noble clan of Konoha, like the Hyuuga or the old Uchiha clans, but they did value their security like all others. He watched from behind his mask as the sentry-species of Kikai bugs buzzed out of their hiding places within the tunnel, swarming over his body completely and utterly for several moments, taking note of his scent and those of his personal allies before they left him and vanished, as fast as they had appeared. As he walked towards the light, he remembered asking his father about the sentry Kikai, and what they would do if he was not an Aburame. Judging from the uncomfortable look that crossed his father's usually expressionless face at the time, he now hoped that he never saw anyone try to gain entrance to the Hive without permission.

He shook his head out of his musings, forcing his mind to the present. He frowned at all the twists and turns his mind had taken this morning but merely pushed on. It would be illogical to keep his team waiting due to a bout of personal examination. He only hoped that his team would be ready to go when he reached their meeting place.

-

As usual, he was the first to arrive at the meeting place. It was by the West Gate of the village, one of the more frequently used entrances to Konoha. He gave a cursory glance around before allowing himself a sigh and leaning back against the gate's support. He closed his eyes and waited.

He didn't have to wait long before his allies whispered to him that they could smell one of their kin approaching. He opened his eyes and a few minutes later, Inuzuka Nekoi turned around the corner. Her white dog mask was set firmly against her face, revealing nothing. Her trusty partner, a dog named Shadow who seemed quite special in his own right, trailed beside her. The two seemed to be talking to each other before they reached Shino. "Morning Captain." She said, her voice calm and relaxed. Shino only gave her a nod as his messenger Kikai from the night before returned to him, buzzing around his head once before heading towards his coat collar and joining its breathern. Shadow gave a friendly bark, or what Shino assumed was a friendly bark.

He nodded to her. "Hound." She took the moment to inspect his old friend's sister for a moment. She was a little shorter than his full height, with black hair that was tied back into a pony-tail. He had only seen beneath the mask at meal times but he knew she lacked the trademark red fangs of the Inuzuka clan on her cheeks. She was limber and fit, dressed in the standard Anbu uniform, tan bodysuit, shin-guards and forearm bracers. Her katana was strapped to her back in a similar manner to his in a black lacquer sheath, the symbol of the Inuzuka clan on the polished material. Shadow himself held no special markings, but Shino knew the dog could somehow shift colors in the light, a sort of nin-camouflage only used by him. Nekoi had merely shrugged when asked about it, saying thats how he got his name.

His allies then picked up again to report that two of their kind were approaching fast from the East. "Looks like Rose and Frog are on their way." He remarked evenly, though his face had knit into a frown. Late again... Naruto really needs to get his priorities straight. No sooner than finishing that thought, two figures came dashing across rooftops towards their meeting place. Shino only looked up towards them as the two figures leaped down, both executing flips in order to land on their feet. "You're late." Shino intoned calmly. He was used to this by now, but was surprised that the more reliable member of his team was also late.

The Anbu wearing a white porcelain Frog mask raised a hand to rub the back of his head, his fingers brushing the wild blond locks into some semblance of order. "Er, sorry 'bout that boss. Got held up by the kids this morning." The only difference between him and his comrades was that he wore a pair of dark cargo pants, fully stocked with scrolls and various forms of weaponry, the shin guards held on the outside of the material. The mask had a long gash going across it from the upper left to the bottom right, as if someone had tried to disfigure the mask horribly. Shino had oddly wondering about it, because he knew it hadn't happened on a mission, but rather Uzumaki showing up with the mask that way. Whenever pushed on it, the blond would merely shrug as if to say 'who cares.'

Shino only nodded, losing the frown behind his mask. He knew of the troubles Naruto had to deal with on a daily basis so he felt it was unnecessary to push the matter further. "And you Hinata? I've come to expect this out of Naruto but what's your excuse?"

She merely bowed her head. "Sorry Shino-kun. Something came up that I had to deal with first. I apologize for the delay."

Shino only nodded. He trusted Hinata enough to know that she wouldn't purposely hold them up. "Try not to be late again, both of you."

Naruto merely shrugged, "You try to get a bunch of screaming brats to listen to you in the morning. Thank kami the academy is on break and Iruka-sensei is available or else I think I would've lost my mind this morning."

Shino found himself smirking at the image from behind his mask, despite the serious mood he tried to keep himself in. Kami help the blond should he ever have kids of his own. It seems his amusement was mirrored by Nekoi, who let a soft laugh for a moment before silencing it, as if she was embarrassed that she had slipped. Finally he spoke up again, his voice back to normal. "Godaime-sama requested we head to the Sound-border. Rumors have reached her ears of strange happenings, an increase in the number of missing nins in the area, and signs of battle. We are to investigate and report back. Should we come into contact with any missing nin, we are to follow standard procedures."

Echoes of confirmation were spoken before Hinata spoke up from behind her white porcelain bird mask. "Are we on a timetable?" Her voice was soft and slightly melodious; a pleasant sound to his ears he felt no shame in admitting. She, like the others, wore the trademark Anbu uniform. The only difference was that hers lacked the forearm bracers and shin-guards. Instead of the customary Anbu sword, a small pouch of medical materials was strapped around her waist, containing any materials that the team's medic might need in the worst-case scenario.

Shino found his eyes drawn the to intricate black rose that had been carved into the surface of the mask. He frowned upon seeing it, as he always did. "None that I am aware of but it seems Hokage-sama is becoming far more curious about our abilities than I would feel comfortable with, all things considered." Shino watched as Hinata's mask face seem to fall slightly at that.

He found his thoughts reflecting on his old genin teammate. She had changed so much over the years, in more than one way and not always in a good way. Her confidence had risen during the war with Sound, actually earning her Jounin rank after successfully defending a strong hold with limited forces after the commanding Jounin present was taken out in the assault. No one had been more shocked and proud than her cousin Neji. However, not all her changes had been good, and that dark ebony rose carved into her mask seemed to be the symbol of one of her worst changes.

"Oba-chan is getting far too nosy."

Shino watched in mild amusement as Nekoi reached over and slapped the blond on the back of the head, hard enough to leave an impression. "Show some respect! She's the Hokage for kami's-sake!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." The blond said before turning his gaze back to Shino. "How long you think this'll take boss?"

Shino pondered it for a moment before answering. There is more to this than in the mission brief, otherwise Hokage wouldn't have requested 'The Four Outcasts', right after they returned from another mission. "Unknown."

Naruto seemed to twitch behind his frog mask, as if annoyed at Shino. Shino of course did not understand why the blond would be annoyed. He had given him a straight answer. Finally the blond sighed before flashing through a set of seals so quickly that Shino barely recognized them for what they were. Kuchiyose no jutsu? Shino once again founding himself dumbfounded by his subordinate's actions, even more so once the smoke cleared and all that was there was a small orange and red toad. "What's happening boss?" The little toad squeaked out.

Shino looked back to Naruto to see the blond scratching his head as if embarrassed. "Need a favor Gamakichi. Head back to the orphanage and tell Iruka-sensei that the mission was going to be longer than I expected. Tell him that the money's in the upstairs locked cabinet, combination 3-1-5-2-6, if he needs it and to feel free to hire a genin team to watch the kids if something comes up. You got that?"

The little toad bobbed its head once in a nod. "Sure thing boss. Tell 'em to use the money to hire a temp if he finds himself snapping at the brats."

Shino could almost feel the smirk on the blond's face as he nodded. "Thanks. I'll have a treat for you the next time I summon you."

The four then watched as the little toad began to hop away. Naruto looked up and them and seeing the blank looks on their masks, merely asked "What?" in a defensive tone.

Shino merely watched in silence, too used to the blond's antics to really find words necessary to respond to them. Hinata's soft laughter echoed from behind her mask and Shino watched as Nekoi merely looked at Naruto before shaking her head, "Weirdo."

"Enough. Let's move out. Blade formation, Hound take point. Rose, take rear-guard. Frog, left flank." The four snapped out of their individual antics to respond to his orders immediately. Despite their antics, Shino knew for a pure fact that together they were a well oiled machine and they were Konoha's finest.

-

Shino allowed himself to remove his mask for the first time outside of meals since they left Konoha after a particularly long jump through the trees. Three days had passed since their departure from Konoha; three days since they began their patrol. Shino took a moment to wipe the sweat from his forehead before replacing his mask. It was unwise for members of Konoha's special ops to reveal their faces, even if there was no one around. The Four Drifters continued their patrol in silence, only stopping or changing direction with silent hand signals that had been engraved in their minds as thoroughly as the blood red mark of the Anbu was tattooed into their skin.

It was late in the day, and Shino knew that they would have to break for camp soon enough. He was about to give the order to stop when Hound held up her arm, her canine partner stopping and tensing, the fur on his back rising upwards as a small growl echoed out his throat. Shino's hand immediately reached for his blade, his allies already beginning to swarm out beneath him via his other arm's sleeve to hide within the foliage, lest they be attacked. "What is it?"

Surprisingly, Frog and Hound answered in unison. "The stench of blood." Shino found himself again quite thankful for his mask, as it wouldn't do to allow his surprise to show. Hound didn't bother to look back at them as she whispered. "The smell of blood is in the air. Kami... its all over the area, I can't pinpoint it." She sniffed a few times, as if trying to determine the direction from whence the smell that Shino could not detect was coming from.

Frog spoke up again, his voice cryptic. "Death taints the air."

"Rose." The order was quiet, but immediately acted upon. He could sense his old comrade's chakra shift slightly before she spoke.

"To the Northeast, about fifty meters. Several bodies I think..." She sounded unsure of something but Shino guessed that even Frog could detect the unease in her voice.

Shino frowned before making a quick series of hand gestures. We investigate. No talking, signals permissible. Frog, Hound, take point. Rose with me. The orders were acted upon immediately and within the next moment all four had vanished from their respective places, already leaping upwards within the trees with a speed that would have impressed many. Many more would have been impressed that they made no sound at all. Quite a useful skill for those of our kind, Shino allowed himself to think before shutting off all unnecessary parts of his brain.

They reached the place Rose had directed them to and even Shino felt his stomach churn somewhat. He found himself agreeing slightly as Frog removed his mask, shock apparent in those bright blue eyes. "Sweet kami..." The scene below them was hard to comprehend, but the air itself carried tension, as if the very forest itself feared this area.

Red. That was the first thing that came to Shino's mind as he took in the massacre. The forest ground was completely tainted in in a crimson color that could only be one thing. He had seen enough of it in his life to be sure that it was the elixir of life that ran through all humans. Below them were were what seemed to be the remains of six bodies, two nailed to a pair of trees as if lifelike scarecrows.

"Frog, Hound, secure the area. Rose, scan the area." He ordered quickly, dropping to the forest floor, splashing down easily. His face grimaced slightly when he realized what the puddle actually was and found himself overlooking the damage with apprehension. What happened here? He stared out, taking the scene in, silencing by the utter devastation. The remains of blood flaked freely from the trees as a brief breeze floated past him. He took several steps forward, dutifully ignoring the stench that his subordinates had smelled long ago.

The clearing itself was riddled with dried blood mostly, as if whoever or whatever had done this had gone out of its way to make dismembering the six bodies as gruesome as possible. A few puddles of nothing save blood sat quietly, to the point where it would easily unnerve anyone. Shino bent down and removed his glove, placing his finger in the puddle while ignoring the severed fingers that were floating near the surface. He almost let out a sigh of relief as the puddle was cold. So whatever happened here, happened a long time ago. Is this why Godaime-sama requested us?

He snapped out of his musings as Hinata's voice drifted towards him. "There are no enemies in the area Shino-kun. There is another kill sight about twenty meters East of here, as if they were trying to escape but it looks to be just as bad."

Shino nodded, rising to his feet as he flicked the blood from his fingertips and replacing his glove. "Blood's cold or dried... Whatever happened here; it didn't happen recently."

"Yes, that's what I would assume as well. I count six... remains here, two at the kill site to the East." Her voice was steady but he could hear the unease in it. If it were not for the emotional training all Aburame underwent before entering the Shinobi academy, Shino would probably be feeling just as disturbed, if not more so.

Shino snapped his gaze upwards as Nekoi and Naruto entered the clearing. Both had their Anbu masks strapped to their hips, their now revealed faces showing the unease they felt. "Captain, the area has been secured. Traps are in place." Nekoi said quietly, his voice betraying her discomfort. Her face was pale and judging from the sickly tone of her skin, he was sure that she had vomited from whatever scene was to the East. Shadow was whimpering openly, rubbing his nose against Nekoi's leg, in what seemed like a vain attempt to brush away the stench that Shino had no doubt was overpowering to the dog's senses.

Naruto nodded. "Shino, there are two more bodies. Same level of brutality. I've seen some serious shit before but nothing like this."

Shino nodded, once again bending down. He grabbed the blood-caked face of what looked like a severed head, examining it closely before removing the forehead protector. He wiped the blood from the plate before frowning at the slash mark through the symbol of the Hidden Village of Grass and speaking again. "Gather their protectors."

Naruto tosses a pair of bloodied metal plates towards Shino, "Already ahead of you boss." Shino only frowned as the two plate bounced towards him, one settling before him while the other bounced into the puddle of blood. The symbol of Konoha's old enemy was engraved on them both. "Our two slabs of meat are Sound scum. Actually recognized them out of the bingo book too." Naruto gave a hard stare at him before continuing, "Whoever did this was damn good boss."

Shino raised his eyes and looked into those sapphire pools for a moment at the young Anbu's praise. Naruto never bothered to hide his emotions, or rather at least in a way that a shinobi couldn't pick up. To his fellow Konoha nins, all they really needed to do was look into those eyes and the blond's thoughts were like an open book. And at this moment, Shino could easily see the mixture of awe and disgust that the blond felt.

Nekoi had done as Shino requested during Naruto's words. She looked through them before answering, "All missing nins in this group, if their forehead protectors are to be trusted. A pair of Grass, pair of Sand, pair of Cloud."

Hinata removed her mask, clipping it to her waist like her partners had. "Anyone from the Bingo Book?"

Nekoi merely shook her head, "Too much blood. Hell, I can't even tell whose limbs are whose." Hey eyes locked on one of the corpses and she visibly paled. "Sweet kami, are those... his intestines?"

Hinata walked towards the two corpses pinned to the tree with kunai, her face twisting into a confused frown as she stared at them. "Shino-kun, take a look at their faces."

Shino did so, turning his head back to the two who were hanging against the tree like a mockery of old scarecrows. Their faces betrayed nothing, despite the blood trails that ran from an intricate symbol on their foreheads down to where the blood must have dripped from their chins. The symbols were identical, a odd sort of character that he did not recognize. He frowned beneath his mask, a message to those who discover this? A warning perhaps, or merely a calling card of some sort?

Naruto frowned and locked his gaze on Shino. Shino had yet to remove his mask, unlike his subordinates, nor had he any intentions of it. "So what do you think boss?"

He took one final look around before he closed his eyes, allowing his mind to work. Hypothesis were drawn; theories were tested he began sorting through the surplus of information to begin drawing conclusions. He didn't bother to open his eyes as he did his analysis, nor did he speak for several minutes before he finally snapped his eyes open. "We have a group of scattered Sound remnants here. Someone turned traitor within without warning, and it started the battle. The group was killed off, some sort of bladed weapon being used, or at least a technique simulating one." He kept his voice even, allowing his thoughts that were being spoken to be tossed around and filtered inside his mind once again to make sure he could follow his own logic.

His words were followed by dead silence. He didn't need to look at them, knowing each well enough to already know the expressions on their faces. Nekoi would be considering his words quietly, forming her own conclusions about the scene from his words. Hinata would have that troubled/thoughtful expression on her face, somehow already knowing how he reached his conclusion. And Naruto... well, he would be lucky in the blond didn't look like a squirrel in front of a mirror, confusion evident and leading one to believe he had no way of connecting the dots.

Naruto wasn't one to specialize in shinobi arts that required... finesse and a deeper insight that most nins commonly worked towards. Shino fought the urge to sigh, knowing full well that Naruto's talents lay elsewhere; the realm of absolute domination over his opponents. He was a pure combat specialist, someone who was to engage a force far stronger than himself and walk away victorious. His victory over the former Otokage Orochimaru was evidence enough of that simple fact. The biggest problem with the blond was his overly... loud choice of clothing. After a simple conversation with Shino, Naruto had stopped wearing the overly bright clothing he was known for. (Read, Shino telling the blond to change his choice of apparel or that he would swarm the blond with Kikai bugs for months on end.)

It had been for that simple reason that Shino had put forth great effort into recruiting the Uzumaki into the Konoha shadow ops brigade; code named ANBU. By doing so it allowed him enough leeway to craft an Anbu team that excelled on all fronts. Reconnaissance, assassination, infiltration, heavy combat; the Four Outcasts could do it all. They were the best scouts, and thanks to his own insight and Hinata's newly developed abilities, investigators that were without match within the Shinobi countries.

Finally he heard Nekoi's voice, a little more solid but only due to her questioning tone. "I can understand how you understood they were Sound remnants, and there was some sort of internal struggle. How did you come up with the weapon and the traitor?"

Shino nodded, a slight smirk on his lips behind his mask. Far more thoughtful than Kiba. I'm glad I was able to recruit her before she tested for Jounin. "Hinata?"

She took that as he cue, bending over the... remains of one of the corpses, if it could even be called that. It more resembled slashed up ground beef than any corpse he had seen before. She ran her hands lightly over the torn and pierced flesh. "The wounds on this one..." he watched as she shot a glance at the other remains for a few moments before continuing, "and the others match that of some sort of sword. Not a giant sword of Mist, but something similar to a katana, albeit with a far more... coarse edge."

Nekoi nodded as she took a closer look at the body closest to her, agreeing with the team medic's assessment. Shino had noticed that the edge had been unusual as well but without further data he could give no theories. Naruto's voice forced Shino's eyes from the nearest corpse to the blond. "And the traitor?"

Shino gave a brief nod to the two bodies that were nailed to the trees behind Naruto. They were held in place by a pair of kunai through the shoulders, holding the two bodies above the ground. "Look at their expressions."

Naruto frowned and turned to look at the two bodies before Shino could feel realization dawn on his team's combat specialist. "I see. No looks of pain, surprise, or anger."

Shino nodded. "They were dead far before whoever did this pinned them there. It looks like the traitor stabbed them both through the heart from behind with whatever weapon he used, killed the others, then hung those two as a warning of some sort."

Nekoi scoffed, "As if this whole damned clearing isn't a warning in itself."

Shino couldn't help but agree with the Inuzuka's statement. "Indeed."

Naruto frowned as he stepped closer to the corpses on the trees. He seemed to be examining the marks on their foreheads before speaking. "It doesn't seem to be a seal... but I've never seen a symbol like this. Have any of you?"

Hinata shook her head and Nekoi merely said, "No, but I'm not very versed in sealing techniques other than the bare minimum."

Shino also shook his head. "I also lack knowledge in such areas... but I would hypothesize that those marks aren't seals."

Hinata examined them from next to Naruto before nodding. "I agree with Shino-kun. It seems far more... personal than a seal." She activated her Byugukan for a brief moment before adding, "There's no chakra residue within the blood, or the corpse. If it were a seal, unless this happened months ago, there would be some sort of residue."

"Not to mention that scavengers would have begun eating these corpses by now." Nekoi added, one hand raising itself to her chin in thought while she bent down slightly to scratch behind the ear of her canine partner.

There was a brief pause before Shino slowly turned his head to Hinata. "Are you willing to scry?"

She looked uneasy, more disturbed by the blood-covered clearing and corpses pinned to the tree than what he actually requested. "As you wish. Take care of my body."

Shino eyes flickered to the blond who looked incredibly nervous at that moment. Naruto gave a smile that Shino had learned over the years to be incredibly fake before nodding to their medic. "Sure thing Hinata. Do your thing."

Hinata only nodded before forming hand seals, activating her Byakugan once again with a shift of her chakra. Shino watched uneasily as his subordinate continued her seals, her eyes still closed before his thoughts drifted away from the moment. But who will be the one who comes back? He only shook his head before turning his head back to the scene. His eyes narrowed behind his mask as his eyes locked on the symbol drawn in blood on the foreheads of the missing nin who hung like portraits. As Hinata finished her seals he could only think one thing:

I hope for the sake of Konoha that whoever did this is not our enemy.

Well folks, this is the start of a new story I've been bouncing around in my head. I am requested beta-readers to those interested, like I said earlier, so shoot me a pm if interested. I plan on having some fun with our now-grown up shinobi. I am looking for people who can critique story style and plot, not so much my grammer or spelling (although feel free to do that as well.) However, if you have any intentions of... 'protecting', for the lack of a better word, any of this characters, we will have issues. I am not intending to 'bash' any character, but I can guarentee that someone people will definately find issues with how certain characters from the Naruto cannon will have changed over ten years, especially after going through war. Just keep that in mind.

So what's the premise of this story? In essence, merely another episode the lives of an Anbu team. The same story, told from different points of view, eventually coming to a conclusion that I hope proves worthy. I'll be switching perspective each chapter and trying to play the roles I see our heroes fufilling. I will take some creative liscense, obviously, in regards to certain characters' development but I promise it shall be amusing. If I can find some good beta-readers, I will probably end up rewriting/reposting this chapter as well. Trying to get into Shino's head was insanely difficult, and I'm sure I broke him out of character without meaning to.

And no one will know just how tempting it was to have Shino say at least once, "You must spawn more overlords." Especially after I decided on a name for this chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

FYE: Words in bold font in this chapter represent Inuzuka dog-speak. I orginally tried using other characters to represent this but FFnet filtered all of them out so I was forced to just bold everything.

Note: Still looking for beta-readers for this story.**  
**

* * *

**Second Kunai: Dog Eat Dog World**

"_You'd best be prepared. Once an Inuzuka sinks its teeth into you, the only way its letting go is when you are no longer breathing."_

_-_Inuzuka Nekoi, to her third round opponent of her only Chunnin Examination.

_So... tired..._ The thought raced through her mind as she wearily dragged herself home from the Hokage's tower. She yawned, unseen behind the mask covering her face. She idly ran one of her hands through her black hair, ruffling it a bit before lowering it as exhaustion set itself in her limbs.

**Are you alright?** She turned her head slightly to look down towards her partner, trailing alongside her, his own exhaustion matching, if not exceeding her own. She lowered her hand to scratch her behind his ear, causing him to shudder for a short moment before leaning into her hand as they walked, enjoying the euphoric experience.

"I'll be fine Shads... Just tired." She said quietly, as if speaking louder would drain more of her precious reserves which were quickly failing her. _I wonder if we'll even make it back to the house before I pass out..._ She idly thought to herself. She then tossed a grin towards her lifelong friend before saying, "I pass out before we make it home, you drag me the rest of the way."

The dog merely laughed in his canine way that she had grown used to over the years. **I'll come back in the morning.**

"Traitor." She said with a smirk, continuing to rub the dog's ear without thinking about it much.

The dog shifted its head out from his previous position of receiving ear-rubs in order to lock eyes with her. **I am surprised the bug-colony pushed your team as hard as he did.**

She shrugged, removing her mask and latching it to her hip. Only those of her clan could decipher the growls and barks of their dogs, but it wasn't as if they even understood everything. One of those things was the fact that none of the Inuzuka dogs ever seemed to refer to anyone other than their human partner by their actual name. Nicknames and symbols were assigned to others that the pair interacted with. "Captain merely did what he thought was best. I wish we could've had another break or two though. My legs are killing me."

Her long-time friend merely let out a small sound that, to anyone outside the Inuzuka clan, would have sounded like a small bark. To her trained ears however, she could easily discern the scoff. **At least you only have two. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to keep up in the trees with you humans?**

She only let out a small smile before reaching down to her friend's ear again. As she scratched it he seemed to relax a bit, letting out a quiet growl in contentment. "I know Shads... I know." She let out a sigh as the Inuzuka compound came into view before saying, "Let's just get home and get some rest. We both could use some sleep." Shadow merely nodded in agreement as the two continued home.

The Inuzuka compound wasn't all that large. Nothing like the abandoned, and now re-allocated Uchiha district, or even the clan grounds of the Hyuuga, that contained two separate mansions that even the Hokage would stare at in a sense of disbelief. No, the Inuzuka were much more practical in that respect, or at least as far as Nekoi was concerned. She gazed upon the clan grounds with a tired expression, taking in the sight of the modestly larger than normal building, along with the fenced yard along the side of the building. The Inuzuka doubled as both ninja and village veterinarians. Contained within the fence were the animals that they were currently looking over, all of them sleeping contentedly. Of course, those were the normal dogs, as well as a few horses, smaller animals and even a few cats (Although Nekoi could tell none in her clan were too thrilled about the creatures.)

She never understood her clan's aversion for felines. She didn't have any problem with them.

The Inuzuka dogs were another matter. It was all fine and good to contain and cage normal animals, but when it came to nin-animals it was an entirely different subject, especially the dogs of the Inuzuka clan. There was another area towards the back of the clan grounds where the dogs rested, weather permitting. If it rained, the dogs were free to enter the clan house itself and sleep inside the storage areas.

Nekoi let out a sigh of relief as she pushed open the door to the front of the actual house. Despite what one may think, it was common for shinobi clans to leave their homes unlocked when they were there. Besides, no sane thief would try to steal from an entire household of ninja, unless they were looking to get caught. She cast a look down at her friend, debating whether or not she would send him to his own sleeping grounds with the rest of the dogs before merely saying, "Come on. Let's get to bed pup."

Shadow merely followed quietly, knowing that saying nothing would change his partner's mind. While he appreciated her concern, she put herself at risk whenever she did this. Having lost the argument before, and knowing that he would feel far more comfortable with her than with the rest of the pack he merely sent her a grateful look as the two entered the Inuzuka household. The two walked with the silence and grace of zephyrs. They took their steps carefully, even for them. Neither wished to wake anyone else up.

Nekoi sighed in defeat as she saw someone standing in front of the door to her room. _So much for getting a break. I'm not in the mood for this._ Nekoi merely walked until she was standing before the woman who was giving her a stern glare before bowing her head slightly. "Mother, I am home." She said quietly.

Inuzuka Tsume was by nature a commander. Whether this was due to the passive-aggressive genes of the Inuzuka running through her veins to be such or merely the after effects of being a ninja her whole life, Nekoi never knew. Her mother was a force in and of herself, and she didn't mean on the battlefield. _All I wanted was to maybe take a quick shower and get some sleep..._ Her mother's gruff voice cut off her musings. "I can see that. Welcome home."

The greeting was voiced in the usual tone her mother took with her. She watched as her mother's eyes glanced at Shadow at her side before shooting back to Nekoi, anger clear in her face. Nekoi internally sighed before pushing her door open and nodding for Shadow to go inside. Her partner merely shot her a look before looking between her and her mother but Nekoi merely nodded once more. Shadow ducked his head and walked past the Inuzuka clan-head with what only could be described as massive discomfort. Shadow knew as well as Nekoi did that the next few moments would be... unpleasant to say the least. Nekoi finally turned her eyes back to her mother and said in a tired voice. "Mother, if it is alright I would like to shower and sleep now. My team just returned from running from the border with no rest."

Tsume merely gave her daughter a measured glare, a familiar argument about to leave her mouth. "What is Shadow doing in the upper levels?"

Nekoi merely sighed once more as her mother confirmed her suspicions. "Mother, is this really an issue right now? Either way I don't mind anyway."

Tsume scowled. "It doesn't matter if you don't, the rest of the pack will." It was Inuzuka clan policy that all dogs slept together. It helped foster familiarity between the pack members and allowed the human-half on the Inuzuka to have some private time.

"The rest of the pack has hated him since they laid eyes on him; nothing I do will change that."

Tsume scowled at this defense. "That doesn't mean he gets special treatment."

Nekoi bit her lip to keep herself from snapping at her mother. Nekoi knew she wasn't like the rest of her family, and could actually control her temper. She waited a moment before looking her mother in the eye and sighing. "I'm not. Why wake the rest of the dogs up at this hour? It'd cause more trouble than its worth."

Tsume merely frowned. "That's not your real reason."

Despite being somewhat different from the rest of her family, Nekoi patience held only for so long. She was tired, dirty, cranky, and in no mood to argue. "Of course not, but its the one I'm giving."

Nekoi watched her mother give a tired sigh but wasn't fooled for a moment. _Guilt-tripping stopped working on me years ago mother..._ "Nekoi, why do you always try my patience so?"

"I'm not trying to." Nekoi said defensively. She finally began leaning against the wall, still facing her mother. Her exhaustion was really starting to get to her and she wanted nothing more than to just pass out. "Mother, can this wait until tomorrow? I'm tired, I'm hurting and I'm dirty. I just want to take a shower and go to sleep. You can scold me tomorrow on all my bad habits and how I'm disgrace to the clan then." She says tiredly, the last statement holding a slight edge.

Her mother merely scowls at her, "Don't take that tone with me." She says, starting to get angry with her headstrong daughter.

_This is ridiculous..._ "You're being loud mother." Nekoi replies off-handedly before pushing past the older woman and heading into her room. "Goodnight." She didn't bother to look at her mother as she closed the door in the woman's face. She knew well enough that a frown or a stern glare would be present. She merely sighed as she once again found herself pushing back tears from their confrontation before heading to her adjoining bathroom in order to clean up before heading to sleep. She cast a glance towards her partner to see him curled up on the floor near her bed. This wasn't the first time Shadow had stayed with her in her room, nor was it the first time she had butted heads with her mother about it.

Finally she brushed those depressing thoughts from her mind as she started a running shower and quickly washed up. She dried herself off quickly before changing into her sleepwear and plunging beneath the covers of her bed, one arm hanging off the bed just enough to scratch behind the ear of her one true friend.

**You didn't have to do that. I would've gone with the others. There was no need to fight with with the pack-leader over it.**

Nekoi merely mumbled tiredly before passing out. "You're worth fighting for pup." Then exhaustion took its toll and she was out like a light.

-

Nekoi was awakened by a familiar wetness lapping at her face. She let out a small moan of disappointment, "You cruel, cruel bastard..." She tried to roll over, dragging what covers she had in a vain attempt at hiding but her old friend was having none of that. He merely hopped up on the bed itself and began nuzzling at her face, using his usual tactic of being incredibly annoying to make sure she got up. _And it's still too damn effective!_ She thought harshly before giving up on returning to sleep and pounced on Shadow with a vengeance.

She ended up rolling off the bed, her legs tangled in the covers and she could hear the muted laughter of her faithful mutt, showing that he was desperately trying to not laugh and failing. She only frowned at him before muttering, "I hate you."

**Sure you do. Now get up. You've been sleeping long enough.** Shadow yawned lazily, his hind leg coming up to scratch behind his own ear. She watched as his fur changed color slightly from the motion before he finally walked over to her door and clumsily opened it and left. **We told the odd one we would visit his little ones today.**

Nekoi only frowned at that before mumbling a few choice curse words under her breath as she untangled herself from the sheets. She quickly dressed in her normal attire, knowing that Captain Aburame had given her the day off. _And we've earned it too, considering we had to deal with that... massacre..._ She frowned at the though as she quickly brushed her hair back into a pony-tail. She then sighed as he stomach rumbled and let out a small chuckle before heading to her door. She grabbed a small book that was resting on top of a small dresser near the door before heading out, already opening to where she left off.

Books were uncommon in the shinobi society. Most information in these days were written down on scrolls, whether it was shinobi techniques, messages, or simply the business transactions of a merchant. Books were ill-equipped for the rugged life on a shinobi, looking ungainly when carried and short of setting one ablaze, much harder to destroy than scrolls. The latter was mostly for when acting as a top-secret courier from Hokage-sama.

Regardless, one of the other interesting things about the way books had penetrated shinobi society was the sheer fact that nothing written within was ever true. She had noticed after she had started reading leisurely when she was much younger but almost nothing, not even history that was taught in the general academy, was written in books if it was fact. Non-fiction books simply did not exist. She had always thought it odd, but then again she figured it didn't really matter that much after all. She preferred reading fantasy rather than reality anyway.

It was often far more enjoyable than what she dealt with on a daily basis while working.

She had fallen into the habit of reading when she was probably around eight-years old. She had stumbled on to an old romanticized version of a shinobi tale. Although her level of understanding wasn't high enough to grasp everything, she read it with a passion. And the rest, as they say, was history. (Which was sure to be written on one of her mother's old scrolls, she had no doubt.)

In this way, she often resembled the mysterious Copy-Ninja Kakashi,; the way she always had her nose in a book when not working (Although she had never even considered reading the man's choice of literature, even when Hatake-san had tried to convince her it really was a good book. She had not known that Jiraiya of the legendary three had been the one to write it, and was oddly considering it before Naruto had seemingly had enough and grabbed the book out of the man's hands and set it ablaze before the copy-nin's eyes.) She tended to go through her morning ritual of breakfast and errands with her nose buried in whatever book had caught her interest at the time.

Of course, there were many in the clan who were not entirely enthused about this. The members of the clan were anything but intellectuals. They would prefer a long bloody brawl over a good book any day. She ignored the harsh disbelieving glares from her clansmen as she prepared some rice and packeted miso soup for a late brunch. She had grown used to her kinsmen treatment towards her, and it had never really been about her books. She was an oddity within the Inuzuka and like with the dogs they raised, oddities were not taken well.

Growing up she originally though it had to do with her name. After all, they were a dog-using clan and about all of them despised the creatures. She had no problems with cats, and never bothered to hide this, much to the chagrin of her clan. Before she met Shadow she actually preferred the creatures over the pushy dogs of the Inuzuka.

She then thought it was perhaps that she lacked the birthmarks that covered the rest of her clansmen's faces. The red Inuzuka fangs were not tattoos as many within Konoha thought, but rather a symbol of the Inuzuka clan. Those of the clan were born with those marks, and they never faded. She was the only one who lacked these marks. She had a sneaking suspicion she was a bastard child but never dared bring it up with her mother. She wasn't really sure she even wanted to know the answer.

Whether it was because she was an outcast or merely just because of her personality, she was far from being your typical Inuzuka-ninja. Quiet, respectful and having far more control of her temper than anyone would imagine from being from her clan. She was far more balanced than any of her kinsmen, having equal skill with the three major aspects of being a shinobi. She also relied far less on her partner in combat than any other Inuzuka she knew, despite being able to use the secret arts of her clan. In fact, she mostly used Shadow for merely scouting and tracking purposes.

Shadow didn't mind. He understood her need to be able to stand on her own.

She finally sat down with her food and began to eat at a slow pace, taking care not to drop any of her rice while holding her book open with her free hand. She took a bite of rice and turned the page when a familiar voice. "I still find it amusing how you can go through your daily routine with your nose buried in those things."

She smiled before earmarking the page, closing the book and looked at her older brother Kiba. He had grown into quite a talented shinobi, and Akamaru was no slouch either. The two of them were one of the best teams of the Inuzuka and it showed whenever they went to work together. He ran his hand through his brown mane as he casually slumped into the chair across from her at the table, a wide grin on his face. "It's called reading ni-san. You should try it sometime, bring the literacy level of this clan up a notch."

He let out a bark of laughter at her comment. It actually resembled an actual bark to Nekoi's ears, causing her to chuckle as well. Their verbal sparring was nothing new between the two. It was preferable to Nekoi, rather than an actual confrontation. She took a moment to look over her brother, the only member of her family who didn't routinely drive her nuts (despite his attempts.) He wore a pair of black cargo shorts that went down to his knees, a larger version of the old wool-lined coat he wore as a kid and his Konoha protector around his neck. His brown hair was wild as usual and she once again found herself wondering if Kiba even knew what a comb was, let alone ever use one.

He was her elder by a few years but he never lorded over her much. In fact he was one of the few within the clan that she actually trusted and cared for greatly. While part of this was from growing up together, the biggest factor of that was that he never judged her; never looked down on her for her differences from the other Inuzuka; never gave her words of disdain or disrespect. Most importantly, he never tried to change her, and she would always be eternally grateful for that.

He snapped her out her musings as he reached over and grabbed her glass of water to take a sip before giving it back. "What time did you get back last night?"

She only shook her head at his nonchalance. "Real late. The Captain didn't want to break for the night when we were so close to Konoha." _And after what we saw, I can't really blame him._ The lie slipped out easily. She never meant any harm when she told such lies, but she really couldn't discuss what they did on their missions unless the information had been declassified by her Captain or the Hokage herself.

Kiba only chuckled, clearly amused at how his old genin teammate's mind still worked. "Sounds like him." He then lost the smile before turning a frown on her. She oddly wondered what was wrong before he growled out, "And tell that idiot to find people in advance when he needs someone to watch those brats! This is the forth time that I somehow got roped into it."

Nekoi only chuckles at that, knowing all about her brother's last escapades with Naruto's kids. "You know Naruto, he'll never change." She said as she took a few more bites of her rice.

Kiba merely scoffed, crossing his arms in a mock pout. "Some Hokage he'd make..."

Nekoi merely smiled, not bothering to mention to her brother that Naruto would never be Hokage. It wasn't that he didn't qualify, its just that the blond had decided it wasn't worth it after several years of raising kids. _He said raising the kids he's got takes almost everything he's got, no way he'd be able the handle the entire village._

There was a comfortable silence as Nekoi finished her meal before Kiba spoke up again, his eyebrow raised slightly as if trying to figure something out. "Took Shadow to your room last night, didn't ya?"

She only rolled her eyes at his words, or rather the tone that they were said in. "Please ni-san, I got enough from mother last night about that.

He only shrugs before taking her water again and drinking it. "Whatever. I already know that nothing I say will change your behavior." He grinned slightly as he said this before slowly losing the grin. "Just watch what you do and say imouto. We aren't kids anymore. I'm not sure the pack will continue to let you get away with stuff like this."

Nekoi's eyebrow twitched in a manner that was all too familiar to her brother. "Family ni-san, not pack. Pack is for dogs, wolves and other animals. Despite what the majority of those who live here think, we aren't dogs." She paused for a moment before scowling as she stood, grabbing her book with her left hand. "Hell, even clan would work." Kiba said nothing to her rant, and she didn't expect him to. They had been over this many times over the years and she knew he meant no harm. "Thanks for the warning though. I'll try to be a 'good' little girl for the time being."

He openly laughed at that. "Can't be something you never were kid."

She only reached across and slapped him on the head lightly with her book. "Quiet you or I'll get Naruto's kids to come visit you." She openly laughed at how he paled at her threat before letting out a low whistle. She gave her brother a final look before saying, "Shads and I are heading over to Naruto's place. We promised we'd visit the kids today. Besides, it'll give me a chance to clear my head before mother hunts me down again."

Kiba gave her a dumbfounded look. "You can honestly relax over there?" He let out a low whistle at that, as if impressed.

She only shook her head as if amused at his words. "They're only children ni-san. Besides," she said as she watched Shadow come into the dining area to meet her, "Shadow likes them." She bent down slightly to scratch behind her friend's ear before adding, "For all the help he gives me, I can bear with it." She then turned to leave, gesturing for Shadow to follow her, ignoring the odd look from her older brother. _So what if our relationship isn't typical of the clan? Its not like we care._

As the two walked down the streets of Konoha in the late morning air, Nekoi once again had her book opened up for her to read. She really wasn't reading it at the moment though, more focused on her relationship with the rest of her family. Her eyes trailed down to her color shifting partner beside her, her eyes blinking once before making out his familiar shape as he shifted to match the color of the road they walked on.

As much as she got crap from her kinsmen, she knew her partner had it worse from the pack. Shadow was born small and weak; something unforgivable in a group of animals with pack mentality. He barely survived after being picked on for the years before his talent... or perhaps curse, showed up. The dogs didn't know what to make of his camouflaging abilities, and thus treated him as an outsider. It even became worse when Shadow attracted the attention of the leaders of her clan. It was a rare ability, and its use in the shinobi profession could easily be seen. He was picked on, until he began to fight back and then the "gloves were off", so to speak. She knew there were many scars beneath that special fur of his, but she never asked to see them or question him on them. It was something that she knew he appreciated.

_Perhaps thats why we partnered up together so well. We were both outcasts within family, so to speak. Me from the clan, him from the pack._ She shook her head before turning her attention back to her book. _Well screw them all. We've done well for ourselves and I'll never let anyone give him shit ever again. _Shadow gazed upwards at his human partner with a small smile, or at least his version of one. She would never know that he was in complete agreement with her on that issue, and would die to protect her from her clan if it ever came to it.

The two walked together in comfortable silence, each lost within their own musings as they approached the Uzumaki compound.

-

The walk never took the two that long. Naruto's place actually wasn't too far from the Inuzuka compound, and actually quite near the Hokage's tower itself. She had heard that the place had one belonged to one of the old council members prior to the war with Sound, but the man had sold it to Konoha's most unpredictable ninja for a hefty price. She stopped at the gate to give the place a quick look over before entering.

It was large, apparently a well-kept mansion before Naruto had purchased it. It contained several floors, although most of the space was free itself. Each room on the second and third floors contained a small dresser and a bed. It seemed to work well with Naruto's kids anyway. A few of the rooms on the upper floors had windows, letting the sunlight come in. It was easy to see the place, despite being in good condition, was really old. Just the style of architecture that seemed far more traditional than anything she saw on a regular basis. The paint was beginning to fade, from the dark red it used to be to a more rust-like color in odd places.

She smiled as she saw a small group of the kids playing. She cast a look to her old friend and said from behind her book, "Play nice Shads. I'll be inside if something comes up." The dog didn't answer her, merely taking off towards the children, barking a few times to get their attention. It wasn't long before the dog was wrestling with the children playfully. Nekoi only laughed at the sight before heading inside.

She quickly stepped out of the way as she entered, avoiding a rush of small kids who must of heard Shadow from outside. She smiled slightly as she once again earmarked the page she had been reading and slipped the book into her pouch. She saw Naruto over the stove, mumbling something to himself as a few more kids were sitting at the table, chopsticks in their hands as if waiting for something. What they were waiting for was obvious as the blond quickly turned off the burners for the stove and scooped a skillet of scrambled eggs onto a large plate and placed it on the table before the kids. "Dig in guys, and be sure to share."

She only chuckled at the sight of Naruto in an old faded pink apron as he finally noticed her. "Very manly." She commented, her lip curled upwards into a grin.

He merely frowned at her before chuckling along with her. "Sakura said I need to get in touch with my feminine side."

She only shook her head lightly at that. "The world trembles."

"Aw shaddup! Don't undermine my authority around here; its bad enough as it is sometimes." He mumbled jokingly as he took off the apron and tossed in on a counter next to the stove. "Thanks for coming, Iruka's still sleeping upstairs; they must have really wore him out yesterday. Choji said he would be running late this morning and Lee is still training with Gai-sensei. It's always good to have an extra hand or two around here."

She only nodded in understanding. She honestly didn't know how the Anbu did it all. "Shadow likes your kids, so its never a problem. Never be afraid to ask." Her voice was quiet but it was easy to see that she was sincere. Despite the few times when the two of them would bicker, which was far less than her brother Kiba would with the blond, Nekoi highly respected Naruto. Not just from his accomplishments from the war with Sound, or even the man's shinobi ability in general. It was his strength of character itself that she respected.

Not that she would ever tell him. _After all, it wouldn't be good to let him get a big head._

He let out a sigh of relief. "I know, I know. It's been tough though. Old lady Tsunade sent a few more my way before we went on that mission too." She once again nodded in understanding. She often wondered how the Anbu found the time to run his orphanage on top of his shinobi duties but it was easy to see that it really took a lot out of him sometimes.

The Uzumaki orphanage had come about in a rather odd way. After the chaos of the war with Sound had ended and Konoha had mostly returned to normal, it was learned that Jiraiya, the Legendary Toad Hermit, had left his entire wealth to his most recent pupil. Jiraiya had perished during the war, not even on the battlefield as a heart-condition finally caught up to him, shocking many and it was a devastating blow to Konoha's morale at the time. Despite the old man's antics, he was loved and respected by the Konohates. (Well, at least the shinobi and the male civilians. Saying the Kunoichi liked him would be pushing it...)

The blond haired shinobi had been stunned by his former-sensei's will and vowed that the vast fortune the man had made in his lifetime would not go to waste. It was this money, and his own savings that were used in order to purchase the building that would later become the Uzumaki orphanage. Naruto took in any orphan he found, never questioning them. He never forced them to stay either, telling all of them they were free to leave whenever they wanted. Most didn't though, as they latched onto the caring man like a life preserver. Some only showed up around meal times or to hang around, but many stayed on the second and third floors in the modest rooms that Naruto had prepared. Some of the kids got adopted; most didn't but Naruto didn't mind. Some had even been with him long enough to begin to enter the general education academy that was often a stepping stone to Konoha's ninja academy.

For some reason the Uzumaki orphanage had caused quite a commotion among the older generation. Many people demanded that the Godaime restrict the young man from taking in orphans but the protests soon died out. Rumors were that the last person to complain had been sent flying from one of the windows of the Hokage tower. Nekoi never really understood why people had such a problem with Naruto running an orphanage. It's not any of his kids ever complained, nor was he some kind of child molester. However, her inquiries on this matter had been shut down by everyone she asked, including the man himself. She took the hint after receiving a glare from the blond, the likes of which she never wanted to see again.

The shinobi took the burden best he could. He still had some remaining money from Jiraiya's final gift, but not enough to keep the place running indefinitely. Thus he remained working as a shinobi to increase his income. One would think it would be near impossible to run such a place by himself but the man's friends were never far from his side.

Nekoi wondered about that as the children that had been eating quickly finished up before rushing outside to play. She rubbed the shaggy brown locks of the one who was the last to finish before sending him on his way. Uzumaki Naruto seemed to exude a charisma that drew people to him. Nekoi knew many that would swing by and help him whenever they had free time. She knew Hinata tended to come over from time to time, but she suspected that was for another reason entirely. Shadow loved to play with the kids, and Nekoi always would smile when she saw him acting like a puppy again. Iruka-sensei tended to assist frequently during the months the academy was off. Some even made it a daily routine, such as Akimichi Choji and Rock Lee. She shivered a bit as she remembered the first time she met the hand to hand specialist, but the kids seemed to like him and they were always thrilled when he would train on the grounds. They would watch him like he was a one-man show.

This was never really all that far from the truth, knowing Lee.

Naruto's voice broke through her musings, causing her to snap her attention back to him. "Think you can watch the kids outside for a while? I need to get to cleaning some of the rooms upstairs."

"Sure thing." She said quietly, watching him head towards the stairs, a tired but content smile on his face. She merely shook her head before heading outside to babysit, already pulling out her book and opening to where she left off.

-

Nekoi once again found herself at the Uzumaki orphanage several days later, leaning against a tree with her newest book open. She had one eye on the passage, the other watching over the few children who were outside with her. She knew Shadow was somewhere close by, but she tended to lose track of him whenever they came over.

She found her thoughts drifting away from her novel as she recalled the massacre that her team had discovered. Hinata had scryed, much to Nekoi's continued fascination with the technique. She knew her fascination was not shared by her comrades however. Captain Aburame never showed anything when watching Hinata scry, but Naruto was clearly disturbed by the near-insane ravings that would usually follow. _I was freaked out by that the first time I saw it too. It's pretty crazy what that bloodline limit of hers can do..._

She was broken out of her musings by the sound of a clear bark. She looked up to see Shadow running towards her, a few children in tow. She immediately knew something was wrong by the way Shadow was running, standing up and earmarking her page before placing the book in her hand back in her pouch. Normally when surrounded by children, it was literally a fight sometimes to get Shadow to not... well, 'bounce' for the lack of a better word. The seemingly normal run he was using now and the fact that he didn't seem pleased at all set off warning signals in her mind.

She bent down to scratch his ear as he stopped in front of her. She gave a quick smile to the kids before speaking. Her words came out in a sort of gravelly growl, one that would only be understood by those of Inuzuka decent, or their companions. **What's wrong?**

**Messenger from the pack leader. She wants you to return to the compound for something.** Shadow replied back, leaning into his partner's hand motions.

**I see. **She replied in that same growl before smiling at the kids and speaking in a normal voice. "Hey guys, I need you to do me a favor. Tell Naruto that I had to take care of something. Behave now, or Shadow won't want to play with you guys anymore."

A few of the kids began pouting at her, which caused her to smirk slightly before she nodded to her partner. The two vanished from the children's view instantly, only small gusts of the wind to signify they were ever there. The two canceled the technique before breaking into a light run back towards the Inuzuka compound.

As they entered, Nekoi could feel a sort of tension in the air that was unusual for the overly brash family of shinobi. No one else was around, but Nekoi could clearly sense the familiar chakra signature of her mother upstairs. She sighed, gesturing for Shadow to follow before she headed up the stairs. She halted outside her mother's room, knocking once before her mother's voice echoed through the door, "Enter."

Nekoi opened the door, allowing Shadow in before stepping in herself. She saw that her mother was standing there with her two large dogs, all three watching them expectantly. Nekoi realized that this wasn't a simple talk; it was clan business. As such, she reacted in the mannerisms she had picked up over the years. She went down to one knee, bowing her head to her mother and leaving her eyes locked on the ground. Shadow sat back on his haunches, his body standing tall as he looked at the two dogs evenly, as if waiting for some sort of threat. "I have come as you have requested mother." Her voice was even, not allowing herself to betray her uneasiness. _I suppose I have Captain Aburame to thank for this skill..._

Tsume frowned slightly before sighing. "You could look a little more pleased to see your mother Nekoi." Nekoi said nothing to her words but looked up with a look that screamed, _whatever, get on with it._ "Don't freeze up on me; I'm not giving you a clan mission, so lighten up a bit here."

It was times like this that Nekoi was often thrown off by her clan's behavior at times. The Inuzuka were known for being brash, impulsive and having a bark worse than their bite. When her mother acted polite and... well, un-Inuzuka-like, it set off warning bells in Nekoi's mind. _I've been here less than five minutes and I already don't like where this is heading._ She exchanged a quick glance with Shadow, as if to convey her nervousness, but sighed as she saw her partner glaring down the larger dog of her mothers, a white hound simply called Shiro. Shiro seemed to ignore Shadow's glare but his ebony partner Kuro seemed more than willing to meet the glare in Shiro's place.

Her mother's voice broke her from her musings as she forced herself to look back at the Inuzuka clan leader. "I've just been concerned with you lately." Her mother wasn't actually looking at her, Tsume's back turned on her daughter as she idly traced a pattern in the surface of the wall near the window she was looking out.

Nekoi raised an eyebrow at that before saying calmly, her confusion evident. "I'm... I've been good, all things considered mom."

Tsume looked over her shoulder at her daughter with a look that once again Nekoi found herself thrown out of place with. It seemed like a mixture of maternal pride and worry. "Care to explain kitty-cat?"

Nekoi bristled at the pet name her mother had used when she was but a child. Her name was something that singled her out among her kinsmen, and her mother's lack of hesitation to bring it to the forefront had always bugged her. She shook her head once more to clear her thoughts before thinking of how to respond to her mother's question. Finally she scoffed out, "Anbu-stuff mom; can't talk about it."

That apparently had not been the answer her mother had been expecting, as the strange expression faded into one of minor annoyance. She finally let the even tone she had been using fade as she once again slipped into the familiar brash way of talking that Nekoi had grown up on. "The clan is having a gathering in several days. I expect you to attend."

Nekoi winced at the statement. _I... loathe those things... _"I can't make any promises mom."

Tsume snarled, her voice biting with anger. "And why not? Do you detest your pack that much?" Apparently she had noticed Nekoi's... lack of enthusiasm.

Nekoi's well-honed veil of patience and tolerance with her clan's ways nearly snapped at the word 'pack.' _Every... single... god-damned time... I AM NOT A DOG!_ She didn't let her frustration show though, or at least tried. Instead her face slipped into a sneer and her voice dripped in annoyance. "I can do nothing if I have a mission. I am not often informed in advance when I am called to duty, or have you forgotten how the Anbu work mother?"

"Don't you raise your voice at me pup! Do you speak to your captain with such disrespect?" Tsume growled out, her anger with her daughter easy to see.

Nekoi flinched. It was an iron clad rule among the Anbu and former-members of the special assassination group that a member's professionalism was NEVER to be called into question. It was considered disrespectful on a level that one could not describe in words. The Anbu were the elite; the backbone of Konoha and its defense. Professionalism was valued highly among their order, as it was kept people sane. The masks were not mere decoration; they were to hide the expressions of disgust and horror that often were present on the faces of Konohates after seeing the group work.

The only difference was that while those within the normal ranks could allow themselves to feel a little disgust at the group's work. The Anbu held no such privileges, hence the masks. They were necessary to cover up a member's self-disgust and what they did.

Nekoi didn't fight her glare and actually felt herself angry enough to growl lightly at her mother. Inuzuka Tsume had been one of the best trackers to ever serve in the Anbu, according to her trainers. She should have known to NEVER question an active member's pledge of discipline. "Is that all you want 'mother'?" Tsume's title had an undertone laced with a mixture of annoyance, rage, and disbelief. She felt Shadow brush himself against her side; a warning. _I know, I know..._

Tsume scoffed, secretly enjoying the fact she was able to get a rise out of her 'oh so proper' daughter. _'Bout time she starts giving into her genes._ "Hardly. I expect you to mingle with your cousins at the gathering."

Nekoi felt the urge to say something about how she could give less than a damn about her boisterous cousins before something finally clicked in her mind. The realization stunned her silent for quite sometime, but she could feel her hands clenching into fists and literally shaking with rage. When she spoke her voice was soft, but carried an edge that would have sent any sane person into frightened shudders. Her partner twisted his head at her tone, having only heard her use that tone of voice once in her life. It had been right before she had slaughtered a missing-nin that had dared to harm him in the most brutal way imaginable. She had been under the command of Special Jounin Mitarashi Anko on that mission, and even the sadistic kunochi had paled when she had seen the body.

"There's more to this gathering than you're telling me, isn't there?" It was a question, but the edge in her voice made it seem more like a statement of fact.

Tsume either didn't notice this or merely didn't care. "Yes. You will soon be reaching the proper age to bear pups. I expect you to take a mate at the gathering."

Nekoi lowered her head, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, earning a growl from Shadow. Her fists had clenched together so hard that her knuckles had gone white and if her nails had been any longer they likely would have cut into her hand. "You... You can't be fucking serious." Her voice was deadly, and it was loud enough to even cause Tsume's dogs watch her.

That single statement caused Tsume to raise her eyebrow questioningly. In all the years since her daughter had learned to speak, Tsume had never heard her raise her voice or use profanity. Somewhat intrigued, she answered back, unafraid of the consequences. "Oh and why not? You've certainly not taken any initiative to find a mate."

Nekoi open glared at her mother before growling out, her rage starting to get the better of her. "First of all, the word is boyfriend or husband, not 'mate'. I know everyone in this clan likes to forget this most of the time, but we aren't fucking animals, no matter how much we like dogs." She continued one, stopping her mother from attempting a comeback. "Second of all, my love life, or lack of one, is not nor ever will be any of your concern." She cracked her neck to the side once, allowing her one last thing. _The nerve of her... Calm down Nekoi, if you slip now its going to be hell to pay later._

Tsume only looked at her daughter's outburst with the manner one would reserve for a child who had just said something so incredibly naive that one doesn't have the heart to correct them. Finally she let out a sigh. "The pack needs more heirs kitty-cat. Please be reason-"

Nekoi cut her off with a full blown yell, no longer caring to hide her disgust with what her mother was suggesting. "FAMILY MOTHER. WE ARE NOT A PACK OF DOGS! WE ARE A SHINOBI CLAN, NOT A PACK OF FOUR-LEGGED MONGRELS!"

The room was dead silent after Nekoi's outburst. The Anbu had risen to her feet and was glaring at her mother in a way she had never before. Shadow was at her side, not taking his eyes off of Tsume's partners, somehow sensing that the situation had somehow spiraled out of control.

Tsume looked at her daughter in complete shock before her face settled into a blank expression. Without any sort of warning or grandstanding, Tsume walked forward and slapped her daughter across the face.

Nekoi's face tilted from the blow, a stinging flare of pain overriding her senses for a brief moment. Shadow had sunk into an attack stance almost immediately, growling loudly as his fur began to swiftly change colors, easily showing his anger at his partner being struck. Kuro and Shiro immediately fell into place beside Tsume, growling just as loudly at the color-shifted dog.

Shadow sunk a little lower, preparing to launch himself at Kuro to rip that mutt's face off when Nekoi's hand grabbed his collar. He looked back at her, demanding an explanation for stopping him. Her face said it all words being conveyed between the two without the use of sound, _Don't do it. It's not worth it. This is not your fight._

Nekoi herself had easily recovered from the blow and was reeling more from the realization that her mother had struck her than the actual blow. Finally she said in a blank tone. "You hit me."

"Yes."

Nekoi nodded. Her mind was throwing up shields to keep herself from doing something stupid. _A disagreement with her is one thing, disobeying her wishes is another but if I dare retaliate it will not end cleanly._ "I see."

"Have you calmed yourself now?" Tsume asked evenly, her expression showing traces of her earlier anger with her willful daughter. _And always about the wrong things! Where did I go wrong?_

Nekoi looked her mother in the eye, resentment sweltering beneath the surface. "Actually no. I'm actually, to borrow a phrase from Uzumaki-san, pissed off beyond all fucking recognition. If you were anyone besides my kin, you would be lying in a pool of your own damn blood."

Tsume frowns at the disrespect and tries to slap her daughter again but this time Nekoi catches her wrist. Her voice this time was icy, no longer hiding the threat in her voice should her mother continue. "Don't test me mother. Familial Piety only goes so far." Nekoi released the surprised woman's wrist after giving it a nearly bone-shattering grip.

Tsume only scowls. "Regardless, you will follow the rules of this pack, or there will be consequences."

Nekoi only scoffs. "Are you finished?" She finally asks rudely. She no longer had the patience to deal with her mother anymore.

There was a long period of silence before Tsume finally asks coldly. "Will you, or will you not obey the pack?"

Nekoi bows her head. "I will obey the wishes of the clan, but I will find my own boyfriend and husband, thank you very much."

"Do not forget you are an Inuzuka, even if you are not heir. As one of the bitches of the pack, it is your duty to eventually bear pups."

Nekoi flinches at this, her entire body tensing. _MUST SHE ALWAYS COMPARE US TO DOGS?_ "Mother, if you ever call me a bitch to my face ever again, I will show you just how much of one I can be."

Her mother only smirks at her anger, as if pleased to be able to get a rise out of her usually quiet and composed daughter. "How cute."

Nekoi found herself being cut off as the door to the room behind Nekoi slid itself open. Nekoi didn't bother to look behind her, still glaring at her mother as she picked up his scent. His voice was trying to stay calm, and Nekoi found herself wondering just how much her older brother had heard of this conversation. "Pardon me mother, but the Godaime has sent for Nekoi. I was asked to deliver the message asap."

Tsume merely gave a nod to Kiba before turning her gaze back to Nekoi. "Go."

Nekoi said nothing as she rose, snapping her fingers once to signal to Shadow to follow. She didn't meet her brother's concerned look, far too focused on her own musings. _One day... Just one day She's finally going to push me over the edge..._

-

She received her new mission after making her way to the Hokage tower, calming herself down so as not to make a fool of herself in front of her leader. She was take part in a B-rank mission, appropriate to her actual rank. Being Anbu only mattered for Anbu missions. She was technically still Chunnin, but she never really cared. She got enough challenge in the Anbu to really worry about such a frivolity.

The mission itself had turned out to be more time consuming than anything else. They were to play courier to Stone Country, taking a message from Tsunade to the Tsuchikage and returning the reply. She didn't really care what the actual message was about; after all it wasn't her place to really know it. However, despite the lack of possible enemies, the trip to Stone is not a short one. By the time they had returned, a week had already passed. By the time she actually finished reporting as ordered, the sun had fallen and the troublesome twosome of the Inuzuka clan found themselves once again making it back to the compound in the dead of night.

She took a glance at the compound before letting out a sigh. _ I really don't feel like dealing with any crap tonight._ She cast her partner a tired but apologetic look. **You mind staying with the others this time? I don't think we'll get away with it tonight.** Shadow gave her a small nod, before trudging off to the kennel grounds. She could see that he was as tired as her and let out a sigh before she called after him, **Sorry. I'll make it up to you. ** She then headed inside, letting out a large yawn.

_Sleep... I just want to sleep..._ She thought to herself as if resigned when she once again saw her mother waiting outside her door. _Does she do that every time I'm not in the village? Or did she sense me enter the village?_ Either concept was mildly disturbing to Nekoi, so she merely covered her mouth as she yawned again. "Good night mother."

"You missed the gathering." Her mother said, a harsh edge in her tone. Nekoi lowered her hand from her mouth, somehow sensing that the coming conversation would be incredibly uncomfortable. Her mother's two dogs looked up at her, sitting beside their owner as if sentinels. "You better have a damn good reason kitty-cat."

Nekoi leaned against the wall across from her door, meeting her mother's glare with one that showed that she could care less about the clan gathering. "I was on a mission."

Apparently that answer wasn't good enough for her mother, for Tsume began nearly snarling. "Was it an Anbu commission?"

Nekoi raised an eyebrow before sighing. "Would it have mattered either way? A mission is a mission; an order from Godaime-sama."

"Because a normal mission could've been turned down. You knew that the clan was gathering. You had no reason to miss it daughter!"

Nekoi finally gave her mother a measured look, the moment of silence dragging out before Nekoi finally spoke. "Fine, I'll be honest with you mom. I didn't give a shit about the clan gathering."

Her candor took her mother back apparently, as her face betrayed her shock at the words spoken. Finally Tsume shook her head, a disdainful look crossing her face. "So you finally admit that you have no respect for your kinsmen."

Nekoi didn't flinch away from the harsh accusation. Her mouth twisted into a sneer as she responded. "I respect those of the clan who have earned my respect. Treating me like shit isn't a way to earn my respect, hence why that is a very short list."

To Tsume's credit, she didn't look affronted by the statement in the slightest. "If you acted like a clan member than they would respect you daughter."

Nekoi only rolled her eyes, "So you're telling me to lose all my manners, give up my pastimes that I enjoy to embrace dog training and veterinarian medicine, and overall act like I have the brain of a mutt?" The two dogs narrowed their eyes at this before Kuro let out a small growl.

Tsume snarled at her daughter, her voice becoming a base growl. "Don't start acting all high and mighty with me kitten! Don't think for a moment that you are better than any of your kinsmen, because you're not."

Nekoi only looked at her mother as if bored. "Yet I am the only Inuzuka who's capable of keeping up as a combat specialist without the aid of her canine partner. We are one of the oldest and most well-known clans of Konoha and I find it pathetic that our members rely on our dogs in order to stay strong. Most of this clan would be annihilated if they ever went into a true battle without their mutts." She paused for a moment before adding, "No one in this clan besides myself could even begin to last five minutes in a true battle against a ninja of, let's say, Uzumaki-san's caliber. Not even you mother. It's a fucking disgrace that we've fallen so far!" She practically yelled that last statement at her mother.

And that was it, Nekoi finally realized. All her observations about the clan, he unwillingness to conform the the Inuzuka standards set by her kinsmen. She always thought that she was merely an oddity within the clan; an outsider merely given a place as if on a technicality. It wasn't until she finally said it that it finally clicked in her mind. _By kami... we have fallen. We've become totally reliant on a single type of ninja tool... We're just like the damn Hyuuga and Uchiha clans. How pathetic._

Tsume growled openly at the insult, her hand already flying through the air at her daughter's face once more. _This bitch..._She was openly surprised when not only did her blow not connect, but doubled over when the retaliatory strike entered her unguarded stomach. She coughed a few times, the air rushing out of her from the blow. She glared up at her daughter as her two companions jumped towards the younger Inuzuka to attack. _This girl..._

Nekoi didn't even flinch after delivering the counter-blow to her mother as the two mutts pounced at her. She sent her right leg up into a roundhouse kick, connecting with the black mutt's jaw, sending him flying away from her, bouncing a few times before impacting against the wall. She followed through with the motion, bringing her left elbow back as she delivered the kick in order to slam in right into Shiro's snout, sending the mutt backwards and whimpering once her landed. _Dogs have sensitive noses; he's not getting back up._ She was broken out of her musings as she sensing danger and shifted backwards a step to avoid the clawing strike from her mother, who was already beginning to look rather feral. _And she's already reaching into clan techniques. That's an insult to our clan._ She waited for her mother to pounce again and this time brought her right hand up to grasp her mother's face. With a twist of her body, she ended up slamming her mother's head into the wall behind her. She heard her mother growling from the blow but before she could try to get away to attack Nekoi again, the younger Inuzuka already had a kunai at the back of her mother's neck. "There better be a damn good reason why you attacked me. I am tired, hungry and cranky. There was no reason for that."

Tsume merely snarled, wanting to wipe the smug look that must've been on her daughter's face off of said face. "Are you challenging me for leadership you mongrel?"

Nekoi merely sighed. "I'm merely defending myself mommy-dearest. I could care less about clan leadership. No one in this damn family would follow me anyway." There was a bit of sarcasm in her voice as she released her mother from capture.

Tsume turned around slowly, anger present in every fiber in her body. She finally looked at her two partners and growled at her daughter. "You struck my dogs!" It was an iron-clad rule between those of the clan that the dogs of another were never to be struck for the actions of the master. It was considered cowardly and disrespectful.

"They attacked me. I defended myself. Kuro's jaw will probably need to be set; Shiro may also have a broken nose." Nekoi said calmly, realization sinking into her mind. _Aw crap... This is why I need Shadow around. He keeps me from reacting like this. Bloody hell..._

Tsume merely growled, "And now I see your true character daughter."

"One's character grows from the parents, but then again I am a bastard child after all." Nekoi said with a smirk.

Tsume growled back in response. "That's it! You have been skirting the edges of the clan's acceptance for years but you have attacking not only your mother, but the leader of our clan and her dogs. You are a disgrace to our name."

"Coming from a bitch like you, I consider that a compliment."

Tsume merely bit her finger, drawing blood before sucking some in and spitting it out in front of her daughter. Nekoi's face paled at that action, realization setting in. _She didn't... She wouldn't..._ "Inuzuka Nekoi, by the authority of clan head, I denounce you from this clan. Leave now, and never return."

Nekoi's eyes widened at the statement as she felt as if someone had stabbed her directly in the heart. _She can't be serious..._ "Mom...?" She finally forced out, her tone showing her disbelief and worry. Tsume merely walked past her, towards where Shiro lay without a word. The brutal brush-off just seemed to cement what had just happened. _But... what... She can't be serious... Fuck, she is... damn it Nekoi..._

"Why are you still here?" Her mother's voice was harsh and feral sounding.

Those words just snapped the last bond she may have held with her mother. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm herself before opening her eyes again. _I will not break down here, I will not cry! _"So be it." Her voice came out softly, and despite her efforts she couldn't hide her sadness. She began walking down the hallway away from her mother, not even reacting when she saw several of the doors open to reveal the shocked visages of other Inuzuka clan members. She paused when she saw Kiba staring at her, a mixture of confusion, shock, and concern on his face. She loved her older brother, but such an expression was not suited to him, so she merely gave him a sad smile before saying, "I'll see you around ni-san."

She let out a incredibly low whistle as she exited the Inuzuka compound. She didn't bother waiting for her partner as she walked into town. Shadow was at her side in moments, his face knit with worry. **What's wrong? What happened?**

**I don't feel like talking about it Shads. Fuck I need a drink, now.** She merely growled back in dog-speak. Shadow said nothing but stayed by her side, his concern for his partner evident.

The two said nothing else as Nekoi found her way towards on of the few bars still open. She swung the doors open, only holding it open long enough for Shadow to enter. The dog immediately shifted his color to match his surroundings. Most bars didn't allow the Inuzuka partners so it was only to be safe. Most wouldn't notice her skillful partner with his coat as it was.

She took a quick look around before seeing her Anbu comrades, sans Captain Aburame, sitting at the bar apparently enjoying a bottle of sake together. Nekoi found herself walking over to them, calling out. "Oi, Naruto, Hinata." She forced her tone to remain happy, despite her urge to just lay down and cry somewhere.

She watched as the two looked towards her, smiles gracing their features when they saw her. "What's up bitch?" Naruto said teasingly, holding a sake bottle in his hand.

She must've flinched at that because Hinata gave her a concerned look. "Nekoi-chan, are you alright?"

Nekoi merely sat down next to Naruto, snatching the bottle from his hand and downing the entire contents in one gulp. She ignored the burning sensation as she guzzled the liquid fire and slammed the bottle down hard, almost shattering it. She didn't look at her comrades before finally covering her face with her hands, on the verge of finally cracking. The silence between the three was deafening. Finally after a long period of silence and another shot of sake, Nekoi finally choked out, tears starting to head down her eyes. "I just got disowned from my fucking clan..."

She didn't hear Hinata's gasp, nor did she see the look of worry on the blond's face as she ordered another bottle of sake and began guzzling it. She did take notice when he grabbed her shoulder firmly. She turned her tear-stricken eyes to him to see those sapphire blue eyes locked on her with a serious expression. "Nekoi, what happened?"

And for once, she didn't have the urge to tell the blond mind his own business.

* * *

Three more 'kunai tales' left in this story. Like I said before, still looking for beta readers. 


	3. Chapter 3

Finally got around to writing the third part of this story. This chapter actually has some references to some stuff that will take place in my upcoming series of one shots to be called, "Tales of the Sound-Leaf war." Essentially, it will be a collection of gathered one-shots that revolve around this AU that Clans takes part of, as a prequel of sorts.

Thanks to my beta-readers, h3x and Multi-fan46, for helping me with this chapter.

* * *

**Third Kunai: Spiral**

_"I've faced down the strongest Demon in history for the last six years with no fear. You honestly think I'll ever be afraid of a whiny bastard like you. Don't make me laugh idiot. Besides, didn't you know? Foxes eat snakes."_

-Exchange heard during the final battle in the Sound-Leaf war between Uzumaki Naruto and the Snake Master Orochimaru.

It was hard to anger Uzumaki Naruto.

Oh, when he was younger he knew he was an idiotic hothead who would try to fight at the slightest provocation. He had suffered many a beat-down from the civilian population and the older academy students after biting off far more than he could chew when he was a kid. Such was the way of the naive child he was, only looking for acceptance.

That was before he knew about Kyubi.

That was before the first time the Kyubi had tried to influence his mind in battle.

That was before the time the Kyubi almost killed him in his own mindscape.

That was before the time before Naruto nearly slaughtered an entire village during the war on a Kyubi-induced rage.

That was before Naruto took that fox bastard's eye for being such a pain in the ass.

The war had forced Naruto to dip deeper into his well of demonic chakra more than he ever intended to, ever. It was during these events that he realized just how dangerous anger could be, especially when dealing with the incarnation of hate and rage within the corners of your mind. It had taken him many years to find ways to control his anger, to hide his emotional hotspots and learn to let taunts, jeers and insults roll off him like sweat after a workout. Though when he finally succeeded in learning to clamp down or otherwise, for the lack of a better word, 'destroy' the anger, even Ero-Sennin was surprised.

Naruto only shook his head as the memories drifted through his mind, continuing his walk down Konoha's main street towards the Inuzuka compound. Nekoi was currently resting in one of the spare room's at the orphanage, with Hinata and Shadow watching over her worriedly. Naruto knew there was nothing he could do at that point for her, but he'd be damned if he didn't do something to help.

And if he couldn't do anything to help, then he would find someone who could.

He finally snapped out of his musings when the Inuzuka compound came into view. He clamped down on the feelings of anger that were starting to bubble to the surface and instead of going further, turned off into one of Konoha's side alleys. He leaned against the corridor wall and crossed his arms, flaring his chakra wildly enough to catch the attention of the one he was looking for. He then simply waited, trying to keep the rising rage in check, knowing that it would not help to tear the one he wanted to speak to apart.

After about ten minutes of waiting, Naruto frowned. _I know the mutt is there. I can sense his chakra from here damn it. There's no way he could've missed the flare I sent out._ _Maybe he's still asleep, it is god damn early_, he thought to himself as he glared at first dawn's light. He then paused before a familiar foxy grin covered his face. He closed his eyes and sent a thought to his tenant, _Time to earn your keep your miserable excuse for a fox. Just enough to scare the mutts this time._ He ignored the growl that accompanied the acknowledgement of servitude and went ahead and flared the demon's chakra, enough to send the dogs of the clan that had been outside into a howling frenzy. If someone had seen his eyes at that point, they probably would've shit themselves at the demonic red pupils beneath his closed lids.

Hearing what he wanted to hear, Naruto immediately cut the flow off. _That should do it._ He was correct, as in less that a minute later, Kiba and Akamaru came running around the corner, the former with a look of pure murder on his face. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING IDIOT?"

Naruto only smirked, scratching Akamaru under his ear as the dog came closer to him. "Good morning to you too mutt. What kept you?"

Kiba growled bestially and Naruto honestly considered if he was going to have to fight his old friend. However the Inuzuka seemed to reel himself in, taking a deep breath before glaring at the blonde. "Where is she?"

Naruto gave a nod, pushing off the wall. "Walk with me." He stated simply. Kiba gave him an odd look as the blond walked away, but Naruto knew the he would follow. Sure enough, after a few seconds Kiba was at his side, Akamaru on Kiba's right. The two walked in silence, although Naruto could practically feel the impatience rolling off the other ninja in waves. He didn't let it bother him; he had more important things on his mind. "What the hell happened last night?"

Kiba flinched at the sudden question but answered anyway, "She had another fight with our mother."

Naruto slowly turned his head to look Kiba in the eyes. A small frown covered his face. "Judging from what I've heard, that's not the whole story."

Kiba only glared back. "It's a clan affair Naruto. You know I can't talk about that stuff to those outside my pack." He almost choked after saying those words, as pure killing intent seemed to start rolling off the blonde in waves. While he was sure Naruto wouldn't kill him, the miasma of pure malevolence was almost paralyzing.

"Shut up and listen to me dog-breath. I don't know what happened last night; the only explanation I could get out of Nekoi was fragmented at best. But I do know this, the only time I've seen ANYONE drink that much was Tsunade after Jiraiya's death." Naruto stated very slowly and quietly, instilling an even deeper fear into Kiba's soul. "Now, you will tell me what the hell happened last night. And you will check on your little sister. Am I understood?" Naruto could only watch in slight satisfaction as Kiba seemed to pale after his words. Even Akamaru shrunk back a little.

"Yeah, sure. I was planning on tracking her down to check on her anyway. I don't need you to tell me to do that, idiot."

At once, the killing intent faded, causing Kiba and his canine companion to gasp at the released pressure. Naruto only smiled back at him. "Good."

-

The Uzumaki orphanage was a very old place, but one that seemed to have mystique all its own. It had originally belonged to one of the village's older council members from a non-shinobi clan, but due to a series of... unfortunate circumstances, the whole compound had been put up for sale, including the vast mansion within its grounds. Most people had known they had no chance of ever raising the money to afford the place, but the people who were selling it were shocked regardless when no less than a week after it had been put up for sale, one shinobi came to them with the price they were asking for. It had put them off guard, because they had assumed that they would have to bargain with their prospective customers, and thus had set the price higher than what the place was actually worth. The fact that a 'shinobi' of all people gave them their asking price was stunning indeed, as shinobi without clans tended to live rather frugal lives.

Even more so when the customer in general was the demon-brat.

Naruto only shook his head at the memory as he, Kiba and Akamaru walked onto the compound grounds in the earlier morning light. Kiba had given Naruto a brief rundown of what had taken place the night before, but to Naruto's ears, it sounded like it was complete gibberish. Naruto had never been a huge fan of tradition or clan legacy, perhaps since he grew up without any, but even after he had begun to understand concepts like family loyalty, he didn't understand much of the things that Konoha's clans did.

Though in his opinion, it was an incredibly stupid reason for being kicked out of a clan. It was just as stupid as what Hinata's clan had done to her, although what had happened to his favorite Hyuga could've been much worse had oba-chan not stepped in. And for that, Naruto would be eternally grateful to the old hag, although he'd never tell her that to her face.

As then entered the front door of the mansion, the door quieter than one would expect from its massive size, Naruto couldn't help but sigh as he looked over his, and many others, home. It looked bigger from the outside, and there was no doubt that the building WAS huge, but it seems that having a large group of children around tended to create large messes of clutter, ranging from stuffed animals, to board games and other toys. He only shook his head in resigned amusement; _I'll have to clean up again today. Maybe I'll force the kids outside for the day so I can do so. Thank kami I know Kage-Bushin._

He was broken out of his thoughts when Kiba seemed to all but growl. Naruto turned his head towards one of his old rivals and was met with a glare that would've spooked him if he hadn't grown up with far worse ones everyday. Naruto only chuckled sheepishly before pointing towards the staircase, "Third floor, last room on the left. She's not near any of the kids so you shouldn't be interrupted. Hinata and Shadow are still with her though."

Kiba only nodded before heading towards the stairs without another word, Akamaru in tow. Normally Naruto would keep Akamaru from heading to the upper floors but considering he had already let Shadow up there, he decided that it wasn't going to be an issue regardless. Instead of following, he turned and head towards the kitchen, another task in mind. After all, the kids would probably be waking up soon and they would need breakfast. It didn't take long for him to fall into his daily morning routine. Where before he would've been more than happy to sleep the morning away, apparently having kids rely on you changes your behavior.

Fancy that.

He didn't let his stray thoughts interfere with what he was currently doing. Going through the motions of cooking breakfast every morning when not on missions had become second nature to him. As he turned on his stove and started cooking a few eggs, he sensed a familiar presence entering the kitchen behind him. He didn't say a word as he sensed her head to the fridge and began pulling out various types of fruits and heading towards the cutting board. Within moments, the sound of a knife rapidly chopping through her goods met his ears and he silently thanked the kami for sending her to him. "Hinata, have I ever told you that you're a life saver?" He said with a grin, looking over his shoulder at the first person of his generation to really accept him.

She really was too. Not only was she a top-notch medic-nin, much to the chagrin of her overly traditional and imbecilic clan, but she had helped Naruto out so much over the years. When he first opened the orphanage, she was the one who had helped him prepare for the trials of raising kids until someone adopted them. She also taught him his current cooking skills, as prior to that he had been hopeless in the kitchen. And she seemed to always have time to help him out when he needed it. In fact, she had become a sort of mother figure to most of the orphans there, or at least a sister since she was around almost as much as Naruto. He would never be able to express his gratitude to her for all her help over the years.

She had changed and grown over the years, shedding away her timid and shy nature for a more confident and experienced personality. She was still quiet, but it only seemed to suit her gentle nature more. She had grown as well, both in height and beauty and Naruto sometimes wondered if his teammate knew how truly gorgeous she was. There had been many times where he had to fight himself from doing something that might jeopardize their friendship, especially after a few drinks and she looked ever lovelier than normal. She also seemed to be perpetually single, another sweet temptation that seemed to smack the blond across the face daily, mostly because people were intimidated by the fact that she was a member of the Hyuga clan, and its former heiress.

_Or at least was. Fucking bastard Hiashi..._ Naruto thought to himself angrily as he turned his eyes back on the eggs he was cooking. The voice of his friend finally answered him, the soft melodic sound of bells somehow coming to his mind's ear as she spoke. "Someone has to help you out. Otherwise these kids would eat you alive, Naruto-kun."

He only prodded the scrambled eggs he was making a few times before turning to face her. He saw the small grin on her face, although she wasn't facing him directly, and decided to play along. He put on a pouting expression, one so similar to one that his kids would use on him to try and get something out of him. "I think I can handle myself. I am a Jounin after all."

She only chuckled lightly, shaking her head in amusement as she took the chopped up fruit, placed it in a bowl and then placed said bowl on the large table that was in the center of the kitchen. She immediately moved towards one of his cabinets, grabbed the bag of rice within and headed towards the rice cooker. Naruto almost felt bad about soiling her good mood but he finally let out a sigh and asked, "So how is she?"

Hinata seemed to pause for a moment before shaking her head and going about her task. "She's... not as bad as she was last night. Physically, she'll be fine but have a hell of a hangover later. Mentally..." She trailed off, not really sure what to say.

Naruto frowned at that. If there was anyone who could help Nekoi with what she was going through, it was Hinata. Although Hinata's separation from her clan had far more... extreme circumstances, she knew fully what it was like to be treated as a cast off from the remainder of the family. He finally said, "Hinata..."

She cut him off, speaking softly. "I understand Naruto-kun. Kiba's with her now and its better that he stays with her for now. If she comes to me on her own, then I'd be more than glad to help her." She then watched in mild amusement as the first child of the morning staggered into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes sleepily while wearing pajamas depicting some sort of odd lizard creature. The conversation ended there as the first wave of kids hit them up for food, both shinobi only casting smiles at the children as they began dishing out food and cooking more.

This pattern eventually followed all morning, mostly due to how Naruto ran the place. The Uzumaki orphanage didn't have many set rules, mostly because Naruto despised most of the rules saddled on him as a kid. As long as the kids behaved themselves, things pretty much ran smoothly. Kids came and went for meals, almost in waves as if they had drawn lots the night before for when they were going to eat and typically it had Naruto cooking up a lot of food. He didn't impose a curfew for bed, and the kids thought this was 'awesome'... until they starting heading to sleep at a reasonable time of their own accord.

Ironically, despite the seemingly lack of discipline or punishment, the orphanage ran incredibly smoothly. Naruto could never really understand why, as he had been told that it would be an incredible ordeal. This is not to say that it wasn't, but that mostly because he didn't hire out employees and did everything himself or one of his friends, who volunteered, did. It was finally one day that Tsunade commented to him while she was visiting him that his kids were oddly well-behaved for their respective ages.

She had actually brought this point up to him because of something he had put into place. Basically, adopting a child for the orphanage followed standard procedures, lots of paperwork, and some accounting mechanisms so that the kids were kept track of after leaving with their new parents. However, unlike other orphanages, Naruto allowed the kids to come and go as they pleased. This only really came up with some of the older children who were on the verge of becoming teenagers (a very small batch. Most of the kids were adopted by the time they were six to eight years old, which surprised many people who knew this fact). The older children tended to do their own thing, and only really came by at meal times or if they needed a place to crash for the night. Tsunade had berated him for allowing these older children to become street urchins but Naruto understood why the kids did it. He had grown up on his own and had been fiercely independent, so he could understand their need to assert themselves in such a way. Besides, it wasn't like he left them alone completely. They were also welcome back either way at anytime.

Naruto snapped out of his musings as a girl with blond hair around the age of six tugged on his flak jacket, holding up an empty plate with a small pout on her face. He only chuckled and scooped some more of the food onto her plate, already reaching for a few more eggs to begin cooking. After all, this was only the first wave of the little morning monsters.

-

Breakfast passed quickly, as it always did. It wasn't long after the last child had finished eating that Chouji and Lee showed up as they usually did. Immediately afterwards Lee had directed all the children outside so that 'they could engage in their 'fires of youthfulness'. Chouji had just followed with a smile and a chuckle, a bag of chips already in his hands as he went with Lee to help keep an eye on the kids. Naruto couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief at that, slumping into one of the chairs with a weary sigh. _It seems like it takes a little more out of me every day... must be getting old or something._ He snapped out of his musings when Hinata handed him a cup of hot tea and he inhaled the herbal scent before saying, "Hinata-chan, I love you. You know that?"

Hinata only chuckled slightly at his praise. "Of course you do Naruto-kun." She said it in an amused tone of voice, but there was a slight blush on her face as she did so, making her appear even lovelier than usual. _She's still not used to compliments though... _She sat down across from him, with some toast with jam already on a plate before her with her own cup of tea. "So what are your plans today?" She asked casually, trying to make conversation as the two picked at the toast together.

Naruto considered the question for a while. "Well, I do need to clean this place up sometime today. I think we're also due for the electric bill and the water bill for this month; I'll have to stop by the utilities facility later. What else... what else... Oh! A nice couple is coming by around three to see the kids."

"Well at least that's good. I assume you've already checked them out?" Hinata replied. Although it was a common occurrence for one of Naruto's kids to be adopted, Naruto could tell that she missed each one of them when they left. _I wonder if that's what it was like for the other orphanages as well... Or perhaps Hinata-chan simply sees all of them as her kids. She spends enough time around them that it wouldn't surprise me._

"Of course. I cleared the background check with the people in the tower already. They're immigrants and the wife apparently has some sort of problem that prevents her from having children of her own. Supposedly Kotetsu-san has already agreed to be their shadow for the weeks after they take the child home, which saves me from having to find someone."

Hinata nodded, taking another sip of her tea. "What about Nekoi-chan?"

Naruto's train of thought halted at that simple question. He let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair and looked towards the ceiling. "I'm not sure. She's more than welcome to stay as long as she needs a place to stay. That's not an issue at all. But I'm not really sure what else we 'can' do for her. Hopefully Kiba will be able to do something with the clan."

As if summoned by his name being invoked, Kiba and Akamaru walked into the kitchen. Without even being asked, Naruto pointed to the tea kettle on the stove, signifying that there was tea ready for drinking. Kiba nodded and filled a cup for himself before pulling up a seat. The three drank in silence, but Naruto kept his eyes on Kiba the entire time. Finally, the dog user let out a sigh. "Well, I convinced her to get some rest. She's sleeping now."

Hinata spoke up, her voice dripping with concern. "Is there anything you can do for her Kiba? With your clan I mean."

Kiba shook his head. "I'm not sure. The tension between her and mom has been building for years and last night it just snapped. I need to wait until mom calms down enough before even trying to mention it to her."

Naruto only narrowed his eyes. "Come on dog breath, you have to be able to do better than that."

Kiba scoffed before glaring at the blonde. "It's not that simple dead-last. The two of them actually came to blows last night, and attacking the clan head is a serious offense, even in our pack."

Naruto only smirked and tried to lighten the mood. "Well, it'll happen when two bitches piss each other off."

Kiba chuckled at that but Hinata only frowned and slapped Naruto on his shoulder hard enough for the blonde to wince slightly from the blow. "Watch your language. You're supposed to be a role-model for these kids."

"Kami spare us all." Kiba added as an afterthought, prompting chuckles from the trio.

Naruto held up his hands in surrender to placate his female friend before turning back to Kiba. "Well, for now tell your clan that she's under MY protection. If anyone from your clan bothers her, I'm going to take it as an attack against the Uzumaki clan and respond accordingly."

He had thought that stating such a thing would send his friend into righteous big-brother mode, but was shocked when Kiba only nodded. "I was actually going to ask if you could make that claim, at least until things calm down. I may be able to help her back into the clan but I can't take open movements on her behalf yet or I may find myself losing face in the pack. And if that happens, she'll never be allowed back." Seeing the two's shocked looks, he clarified. "Hey, I'd die for my little sister, you guys know that. But quite frankly, if you're willing to put that offer up, I'm sure as hell going to take it Naruto. Ever since Seikaicho (1), everyone in Konoha knows not to fuck with you or any of yours."

Naruto frowned at that, as did his female friend. "Let's not talk about that..."

Kiba winced as he realized what he said, "Sorry 'bout that."

"It's alright." The blonde replied, his mind already drifting back to the incident against his will.

All in all. he was rather relieved when he heard a young voice call out, "Hey whisker face! You here?"

Naruto turned his head to face the speaker with a scowl on his face. "What did I tell you about calling me that Hiro-_chan_?"

The eight year old merely met the blonde's scowl with own of his own, at least three times as fierce with his green eyes blazing in fury. He had brown hair that was cut short on one side, and long on the other, half-shielding the boy's face from half of the bangs that would normally be there. He was dressed in a dark blue jumpsuit similar to one that Naruto had worn during his own youth, although far more tasteful to his associates. _Not that I ever expect anyone to understand the glory that is orange._ "Oi ossan! I ain't nobody's 'chan'!" Naruto had to fight to keep the look of amusement from creeping up beneath his fake scowl. _Ah, just what we needed. A little comic relief never hurt anyone; err... at least on purpose. If he's here then the other two should be coming in right behind him._

Sure enough, no sooner than the boy spoke he was following into the kitchen by two other children roughly around his age. The first was a young girl, tiny even for her age. Her black hair was tied back into a pony tail and secured by an orange hair band, one that the jounin had actually given her on her last birthday. She as wearing a simple white t-shirt and brown cloth vest, along with a pair of tan shorts. Her brown eyes showed their exasperation with her fellow pre-teen as she shook her head as if already giving up on him. She did however give her friend a slap on the back of the head for yelling so loud. "Shut up Hiro. Use a little volume control for a change."

The child identified as Hiro merely turned his eyes on her in response and blew her a raspberry, "Ah shut it Sayuri!"

"Why you..." The girl began, a vein already bulging out on her forehead as she began cracking her knuckles, preparing to give yet another thrashing to her friend.

The last kid only seemed to watch his friends with detached amusement, yet saying nothing. Oddly enough, he was the most unique looking out of the trio, a mop of smooth silver hair covering his head that seemed to just draw the eyes. One eye a scarlet color similar to the pigment of Yuuhi Kurenai, the other a dark purple color. His whole expression showed nothing but being bored and tired, and as long as Naruto had known the child, he had always looked that way. He often wondered if the boy lived in a state of perpetual exhaustion, but never asked. The boy seemed happy enough, although it was often hard to get the boy to speak at all. He could clam up faster than Shino after overhearing about someone fumigating their home. In the years that he's known the boy, Naruto has only heard the boy say about a hundred words and counting.

Naruto only rolled his eyes at the trio's antics, ignoring the chuckles from Hinata and Kiba. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the terrible trio; what brings you guys here, Ginzan-kun, Sayuri-chan, Hiro-_chan_?" Naruto asked, deliberating adding and emphasizing the diminutive suffix for the loudest of the three. He fought the grin on his face when he saw Hiro once again bristle at the title. He had known these three for a long time, and they were some of the few to not be adopted and instead, set off on their own. He had actually starting paying for their civilian style schooling for the last few years himself.

Naruto really liked these three, and almost envied them for their almost sibling-like relationship. Ginzan was like the older brother who looked out for the younger ones protectively; Hiro was like the youngest, often bringing energy to the trio and often being the one who came up with their plans for the day. Sayuri acted as a big sister to Hiro and took care of both of them, and in return, both boys looked out for her like any brother would do for their sister. She often acted as the spokesperson for the group, having a better handle on language than Hiro, and far more talkative than Ginzan. Despite being so young, they often acted like teenagers more often than not.

Hinata slapped Naruto on the arm lightly, but there was a smile on her face as well. "Behave. You're supposed to be setting a good example."

Kiba only laughed loudly at that. "For kami's sake I hope not. I doubt the village can survive another Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto only frowned, speaking with an amused tone. "Everyone's trying to usurp my authority around here." He shook his head a few times before turning his eyes back to the kids. "Are you guys hungry, I'm sure we could whip something up for ya."

The brown-haired boy's eyes lit up at that, following by a large grin. "Well... since you're offering..." The adults merely chuckled as the boy sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

Sayuri merely rolled her eyes at her friend's antics but surprisingly it was the usually silent one who answered Naruto's original question. "Hiro, wouldn't it be best to get what we came for out of the way first?"

Naruto only raised an eyebrow in response. _That's another sixteen words,_ he thought in wry amusement as he looked to Hinata. She had spent almost as much time around the trio as he had and her reaction was the same as his. They watched patiently as Hiro continued to scratch the back of his head sheepishly before reaching around to his pocket and digging out some folded up paper. "Uh, whisker-face, Hinata nee-chan. We're looking into some things and we need a few adult signatures; bastards say we're too young for them to accept ours. Think you could help us out?" Hiro asked, a grin covering his face as he handed the papers to Hinata.

Naruto watched the trio warily, something telling him that something was amiss. He even missed Hinata chiding the boy on his language. Hiro rarely acted as the spokesman for the trio, usually only when Sayuri didn't feel comfortable doing so. If Sayuri was uncomfortable with giving Naruto some forms to sign for them, which they knew he wouldn't mind doing if it was for a legitimate reason, that said something was off. He gave an even stare at the trio and watched in rising apprehension as Hiro and Sayuri refused to meet his eyes. Ginzan merely let out another yawn, completely unaffected by the blonde's gaze.

However, it was Hinata's soft gasp of shock that cemented it in his mind. He looked away from the kids to look at Hinata, already worried about the odd look on her face. _Well that can't be a good sign..._ "Hinata?"

She looked back to the kids for a moment before looking over at Kiba and Naruto uncertainly. Finally she said softly, "They're application forms... for the Konoha shinobi academy."

A silence descended upon the room. Kiba merely stood up and muttered something about watching over the kids outside before leaving the room. Hinata still carried that worried expression on her face, now that he realized that it 'was' worry, and would look between the three kids with that same expression. Naruto merely closed his eyes and leaned his head back. _I really shouldn't be surprised by this, but still..._ He let out a sigh, tension beginning to drain slowly from his body. _They were practically raised by me and Hinata, and enough of our friends as well to know that we're shinobi. I'm not sure if I should be flattered or not that they look up to us that much. Or do they have another reason for wanting to become shinobi?_

Finally, Naruto opened his eyes but kept them locked on the ceiling. He held his hand out for the papers and he felt Hinata wordlessly hand them over. He slowly folded them up and placed them in his own vest before speaking softly to Hinata. "Think if I leave some kage bushins that you'll be able to handle things for a while? Rope Kiba into it if you need help."

She only nodded before saying softly, "I'll take care of things."

"Thanks." He then looked back to the three before standing up. "Come on brats, let's go take a walk." He walked to the entrance to the ex-mansion, subtly pushing them out the door with him. He didn't say anything as he led them away, but judging from the shiver that went down his spine, he could tell that Kiba and his other friends were watching them.

Finally, after a few minutes of walking through Konoha's streets, Sayuri spoke up. She was obviously unsettled by Naruto's odd behavior, as it currently went against every other time they had seen him before. "Are we in trouble, Naruto ni-san?"

Naruto looked down at her worried expression before smiling and placing a gentle hand on her head and ruffling her hair a bit. "No. You guys aren't in any trouble. I just want to have a chat with you three."

_One that I thought I would never have until I actually had kids of my own. Well, should be good practice I guess..._

-

Naruto simply watched the figure who stood before the memorial stone. He was not surprised to see them, as it had become a well known habit of theirs after they lost their best friend. Naruto could empathize completely, as he knew what it was like to lose friends. _Not to mention a brother..._ However. he remained silent, not wanting to interrupt his friend.

However, it seemed that Hiro was unable to appreciate the atmosphere for what it was, prompting eye rolls from his two friends. "What are we doing here Whiskers?" Naruto simply bopped him over the head with a closed fist, only hard enough for the boy to yelp.

Apparently, their byplay was noticed by the figure at the stone. They only shot a glance towards the blonde and his charges before breaking into a smile. "Hey Naruto. Haven't seen you in a while."

Naruto only shrugged as he walked up next to them. "I've been busy with things, as usual. How's the hospital, Sakura-chan?" He stared at the stone that held so many familiar names and fought to keep his memories of the war from taking control. _Kakashi-sensei... Mitarashi-san... Ino-chan... Konohamaru... Udon... Yamato-taichou..._ He closed his eyes, forcing himself to stop taking tally of how many he loved and respected were gone from this world.

The pink-haired apprentice of the Godaime merely let out a sigh before turning her gaze back to the stone. Her finger traced over one name in particular; the name of her best friend, and Naruto had to fight to keep himself from wincing at the gesture. "Same old, same old. We had a group come in last night that's forced them to wake me in the middle of the night to come in. I actually just got out a little while ago."

He frowned at that. "You're not overworking yourself, are you?"

She only rolled her eyes. "Drop the big brother act Naruto. You know I know my limits, and unlike some people I'm not stubborn as a mule." He scratched his head sheepishly at the rebuke, knowing full well that dealing with him was a hassle at times for his old teammate. She shook her head before removing her hand from the memorial and tossing a look towards the kids. "So what brings you here?"

Naruto let out a sigh before nodding towards the kids. "The brats here brought me some application forms for the academy. I just wanted to have a little chat with them first."

Her eyes widened a bit before she nodded thoughtfully. She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently before turning away. "Well, I'm exhausted. I'll drop by the orphanage later; it's been a while since you, Hinata and I caught up."

He nodded. "I'll get a bottle of that stuff you like for tonight then." He watched her leave and then turned to the kids who had been watching the byplay with open interest in their eyes. He gestured towards the ground before the memorial as he took a seat himself. "Take a seat guys." The three did as he asked, albeit hesitantly with Hiro on Naruto's left, Sayuri in the middle and Ginzan on the other side of Sayuri. Naruto scowled at himself mentally as he took in their expressions. _Man, my behavior must be scaring them shitless..._ "Relax guys, you're not in trouble. I seriously just want to discuss a few things with you."

Sayuri spoke first, "Naruto ni-san, who was that?"

"My old teammate from my genin days. She's like a little sister to me, but she tends to overwork herself." He shook his head ruefully at the comment.

"She's pretty." Hiro said, with slight awe in his voice. Naruto noticed the blush on the child's face and forced himself not to laugh, but he did allow himself a small amused smile.

"I'll be sure to tell her you think so." He chuckled as the boy flushed spectacularly, which also drew chuckles from his two friends, even the ever-silent Ginzan. "But enough about that. Do you three know what this monument is?"

"Umm, something about ninjas who died?" Hiro ventured.

"That's correct. Every shinobi of the village who has died on a mission has their name engraved on this stone. Do you three understand the significance of this?"

Silence met his words. Hiro and Sayuri exchanged uneasy glances, obviously not having an answer but afraid to not have one. It was Ginzan who spoke first, prompting startled looks from his friends. "... so they are not forgotten. That they died for something."

Naruto nodded, closing his eyes with a sigh. "... Shinobi are men and women who live and often die in darkness. Many times, their deaths can't even be discussed openly for the security of the village." He then shook his head before opening his eyes and turning his piercing gaze on the three. "Now, I want to hear the reasons that you three want to become shinobi."

Hiro was the first to speak. "Do you even have to ask Whiskers? Ninja are bad-ass! How could I not want to be one?"

Naruto stared at the brown haired boy with a sense of disturbed nostalgia. _Maybe Hinata was right, I am a bad influence after all..._ "... Hiro, do you realize that being a shinobi isn't all fun and games? There isn't always going to an evil villain to fight in an epic duel, the soundtrack playing in the background."

"What do you mean?" He asked with his voice in a near-whine.

Naruto only sighed. He idly wondered if he should be saying anything at all and just let the academy's first year do its explanation of the shinobi life. _No, that leaves too much out and I don't want them going down this path unless they really want to._ "Hiro, Sayuri, Ginzan. You realize that by becoming shinobi, you will become tools of the village. And you won't always be sent on some noble and grand mission to save someone." He met each of their eyes as he spoke, continuing in an even tone. "While it's true that you will become the shield of Konoha, protecting the village with your abilities, you will also become its sword with those same abilities.

"You will be ordered to do some things that you would never consider doing otherwise. You will be ordered to do things that you will even hate yourself for doing. Once you three begin walking down this path, it is incredibly difficult to stop. Even Hinata-chan and I have done things that we aren't particularly proud of but they had to be done for the village.

"So I ask you again, why do you want to be shinobi?" Naruto finished, his tone imploring the children to be honest with him.

The three exchanged glances but then they all looked away, as if thinking to themselves. Naruto waited patiently for their answers. _I won't stop them from this path either way. It IS their choice, but if their reasons aren't worth it then I will tell them of such. It would be harsher not to and to allow them to go down that path unknowingly. _Finally, the raven-haired girl spoke up. Her voice was oddly subdued. "I can't explain it well... but I want to become strong. Strong enough to take care of myself, and my friends too. I want to be like you and Hinata nee-san."

Hiro looked at Sayuri with an understanding expression. "... I think I understand what Sayuri-chan is trying to say. I feel the same way. Everyone... the villagers, ni-san, Hinata nee-san, Lee-san, everyone. You've always looked out for us... and we want to be able to do the same one day. I want to be able to protect Sayuri-chan, Ginzan-kun, and everyone else."

Naruto looked at the two who were now looking at each other and nodding, as if reaching a mutual understanding in their similar feelings. Naruto idly wondered if the three had discussed this prior to this moment, or if he was seeing a moment of bonding that he would not expect from the trio. He knew they had been close, but judging from the two's reactions they had never openly spoke of their reasons before. He felt a small smile reaching his face before he looked to the silver-haired youth. "And you?"

Ginzan only lazily looked at Naruto and the Jounin thought he saw a flash of amusement in the boy's dichromatic eyes. The boy let out a loud yawn before saying, "Someone has to keep an eye on these two idiots."

"Oi!"

"Shut up Ginzan!"

Naruto only chuckled at the reactions of the other two. _It seems that Ginzan still has an odd way of showing concern for his friends... Oh well, some things never change._ Naruto nodded to himself before the three turned back to him. Naruto only smiled at the three before placing a hand on Hiro's head and the other one Ginzan's shoulder. He rubbed the long strands on the one side of the boy's head and gave the other a firm squeeze before saying. "Good reasons, all three of you. Wanting to become strong to protect those precious to you is the most noble of reasons for becoming shinobi. I have no doubt that the three of you will succeed in this." _Reasons far better than mine when I was a brat... I wish I could take credit for this but somehow I know it's all them. Amazing really; they discovered what took me a good portion of my Genin career before they even became academy students. They'll go far like that._

"Whiskers?" Hiro ventured his voice unsure.

Naruto only released the two boys for a moment before pulling all three into a small hug. Their small frames were pulled against his and he could tell from the tensing of their bodies that he caught them off guard. "I want you to know that I'm very proud of all three of you." He released them and could've sworn he saw a flush of pride on all three of their faces, even Ginzan's. "Later today, we'll go to the academy together and we'll get you three set up." He only smiled as two of the three shot him smiles to mirror each other, their eyes shining bright in excitement. He paused in thought for a few minutes, ignoring the three's excited chatter as he thought it over.

He chuckled once more before thinking to himself, _perhaps... Yes, definitely. In for ryo, in for pound as they say.__Besides, it's practically a given already, might as well make it official._ "I do have one condition though."

Hiro seemed to deflate at that, but Sayuri merely nudged her friend to keep quiet. "What's that Naruto ni-san?"

He gave them a small smirk. "You guys probably don't realize this, but orphans whose bloodlines can't be tracked down don't receive a surname until they reach adulthood or are adopted. It's actually very rare that someone reaches adulthood without gaining a surname name to call their own or they do not choose one once they do." He paused for a moment, his mind starting to drift back before shaking his head. "In fact, I think I only know of one from my generation who still doesn't have a surname, but that'll change when she gets married in a few months." _We all saw that one coming. Though I wonder how Tenten deals with Neji without going nuts._

"So?" Hiro asked, his tone of voice betraying the boy's confusion.

Naruto idly wondered if the three were even following his ramblings. _No matter, they'll get the point soon enough. I just hope I'm ready for this..._ "As such, you guys don't have surnames. On the forms you have, we would normally leave that blank and the administrators would get the picture that you three are orphans and move on. I want you guys to let me write something in there for you." Naruto watched in satisfaction as he watched the quiet boy's eyes widen in shock, and his jaw even dropped a small amount. His friends didn't see where Naruto was going with this but the blonde knew that the boy understood. He paused for a moment, giving a slight nod to the silver-haired boy before turning back to the other two. "Do you understand what I'm asking?"

Hiro only stared at him with a confused expression, but Naruto smiled as he watched the gears in the girl's mind begin to spin. After a few moments, her eyes widened like her friend's did before and Naruto watched as tears of joy began to form in her eyes. "You... does that... You want to...?" Her words were broken and fragmentary, causing Hiro to look at her in confusion.

Naruto decided to let Hiro in on the secret since he obviously wasn't connecting the dots. "Yes. I want to adopt the three of you myself; officially." He was met with silence but they're expressions said it all. Ginzan had a content smile on his face, and for once didn't look tired as hell. Sayuri was wiping her eyes with the back of her hand but the smile on her face said everything. And Hiro...

Naruto only laughed like he hadn't in years when he felt a small body tackle him in joy. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all..._

-

Naruto was wary when he returned and he saw all the kids sitting outside with Lee and Chouji. It was already dusk, and Naruto wondered why the kids were still outside. Usually around this time, they would be scrambling over each other after eating dinner. They were oddly subdued, the kids that is. Though even Lee and Chouji had serious expressions on their faces. Naruto only raised an eyebrow and walked over to them, his two new sons and daughter in tow. He had gotten them squared away at the academy and even bought all three a novice's set of kunai and shuriken from Tenten's shop. He still had to fill out the forms formally adopting the trio but he didn't think anyone would have a problem with it. "What's going on?"

Chouji was the one who answered. "Godaime-sama is here with Shikamaru and Shino. Apparently, your team is going to be seeing action. They asked us to send you in once you returned."

Naruto didn't let his distaste show at hearing that the ANBU commander himself was here. Especially not to Chouji; he didn't need to know the depths of Naruto's hate for their old classmate. "I see. Keep an eye on the kids for me?" He asked unnecessarily before heading towards the building. He tossed one last glance at his new children, giving them a smile and wink to hide his unease before entering, closing the door behind him.

He could even feel the oppressive air of tension as he walked into the main sitting room. It was a large room,that was usually used when hosting people over, whether they are friends or potential parents for the kids. The kids were mostly kept out of here, so it was much cleaner than the rest of the mansion. In the center of the room, recessed into the wall was an old fireplace that was currently lit. To the right was a long couch, upon which sat Hinata, Nekoi and Shadow. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the dog on the couch but didn't say anything as his eyes shifted to the other side to see Tsunade sitting in one of the plush chairs and the head of the ANBU sitting in a chair next to her. He found his captain standing near the entrance as he walked in, silent and aloof as always.

He found his way to the couch and gently pushed the dog away. He caught the mutt tossing him what he had learned to interpret as a dirty look before it hopped off and curled up around Nekoi's feet. The blonde tossed a glance at Kiba's sister to ascertain how she was feeling but her 'game face' as he called it was already on. _Guess I'll have to ask later._ He then turned as he sat to face Tsunade. "So what's up Oba-chan? Not very often that you come here of all places to give a mission."

If the pet name bothered her, she didn't show it as she stared at him. It became obvious that she ignored his jibe as she spoke up, "As we're all here now, there is some information I believe you four should know. Do you remember the bizarre kill-site you found on your patrol two weeks ago?"

Naruto had to fight to keep his body from shivering when he recalled it. "You don't really forget something like that."

"Well more information has been found than what you were able to discern. Shikamaru." The Godaime barked.

Their old classmate merely sighed, sitting up from the slouch he had been sitting in. "We've been able to figure out who was responsible." He let out a small yawn before continuing, ignoring the glare of both blondes in the room, though for entirely different reasons. "The man's an ex-Oto nin, left shortly before Oto's fall in the war. Name is Ketsui Hiruto, a surviving member of the Ketsui clan, which was thought to have been wiped out during the war with Stone. The clan was known for its bloodline limit, the ability to control their own blood."

"Creepy bloodline..." Nekoi muttered under her breath. Naruto knew he wasn't supposed to have heard that, but the comment did cause him to smirk. _Well, she's doing better than before I see._

Shikamaru continued as if not having heard the ex-Inuzuka. "Supposedly their primary use of it was to harden the blood beneath the skin to form a type of impenetrable armor. The more advanced users could use it as a weapon of sorts but I haven't been able to find any information on how. Most who have fought the clan are no longer in active service or are dead." The ANBU commander let out an irritated sigh; evidently annoyed he hadn't been able to discover more. "Even what we do know about them is only hearsay. No one can really say if the bloodline limit is actually real."

Shino makes himself heard for the first time as the reconnaissance team takes in this information. "That would explain all the excess blood at the site."

Tsunade continues from where Shikamaru left off. "The Ketsui clan was annihilated towards the end of the war. There was one clan whose style of combat was a natural enemy to the Ketsui clan's ability."

"The gentle fist. The Hyuga clan." Hinata whispers, understanding dawning on her for now. Naruto frowned at that before considering it. _Gentle fist attacks from the inside out more or less. They may be able to harden their blood but they can't stop the entrance of chakra infused blows. Natural enemy indeed._

"Correct. A force led by the clan head at the time destroyed the Ketsui clan in one night. We had the advantage of the gentle fist and of surprise. They had no chance."

Naruto frowns before speaking up curtly. "Why don't we cut to the chase? You wouldn't be bothering to tell us this unless something was about to happen."

Shikamaru merely sighs before muttering under his breath. "Troublesome blonde..."

"What was that _commander_?" Naruto asks, sarcasm heavy in his voice. He ignored the looks he received from his squad mates, including his captain as he awaiting the man's response.

"Enough." Tsunade's voice booked no argument before she spoke again. "You're right though Naruto. The reason why you are being told of this is because we believe we know his objective." She paused for a moment, making sure she had the team's attention before continuing. "We have reason to believe that this individual is heading here."

"He's after the Hyuga clan." Shikamaru explains when he sees their baffled looks. "Supposedly, this man joined Orochimaru for the chance to get revenge against the Hyugas. Orochimaru had him trained as a stealth and infiltration specialist, and apparently the man was quite proficient in demolitions."

"Sneak into a target's abode and blow it sky high." Nekoi summarized. Naruto could only nod in agreement to her assessment.

It was only then that Naruto noticed the odd look on his friend's face. "Hinata?"

She only looked up and gave him a small smile before looking back to Shikamaru. "He intends to attack the ascension ceremony." She said it as fact, and Naruto kicked himself when he didn't realize it sooner. The ascension ceremony to formally mark Hyuga Hanabi as the leader of the clan was to take place tomorrow night. Every Hyuga who was not on a mission, branch and main family alike, would be present. _If he plans to attack..._

"No way. He's insane if he thinks he can sneak up on an entire compound of Byukugan users." Nekoi remarked flatly.

Tsunade nodded in agreement to their conclusions. "We have reason to believe he's already been in the village proper for a week, either gathering information or planting explosives." Naruto then watched as the woman's face changed to the one she used when issuing orders. "ANBU team twenty-three, you are to take part in a joint ANBU mission to provide security for the event. The operation will take place tomorrow, and in addition to your team, three other ANBU teams will be placed under Captain Aburame's command. Commander Nara and his forces will continue to focus on finding the target and silencing him. Those are your orders."

The shinobi in the room nodded, Naruto looked back to his captain when Shino asked, "I would request a floor plan of the Hyuga compound as well as the names of the other teams so I can begin making preparations."

"You'll have them later tonight. I'll send a messenger once I have decided who to give you." Shikamaru said, his voice and facial expression uncharacteristically serious. The same face that drove Naruto apoplectic with rage every time he saw it. _Every time since that bastard..._

He was snapped out his rage when he felt a gentle hand squeeze his own. He turned his head to see Hinata watching him, before shaking her head no. He deflated at that, letting out a deep breath before turning back to the Hokage. He decided to ignore the look of confusion that Nekoi was giving him, as well as the look of understanding on the old woman's face. Shikamaru was merely watching him carefully, as if expecting him to attack him at any moment.

_Bastard should expect that, after what he pulled and all._

Tsunade stood up and excused herself. Shino did momentarily as well, after saying he would send his messengers to his team when he wanted them to meet. Naruto nodded faintly to both of them, his stare locked on Shikamaru who was still watching him carefully. Finally, Naruto spoke in an icy voice, "Well then Commander. I'm sure you can show yourself out, as we've got work ahead of us."

Shikamaru nodded before standing but didn't stop looking at the blonde. Once Hinata and Nekoi left the room, the man spoke. "You still haven't let it go, have you?"

Naruto all but growled, tempted beyond all belief to attack the man before him. The man was a good ANBU, and a genius on many levels, but it would be a cold day in hell before he could take Uzumaki Naruto in a fight. Naruto knew this, and he knew that Shikamaru knew. The fact that Shikamaru still had the nerve to even mention that before him pissed Naruto off to no end, even if he had a firm handle on his anger. "Of course not! You fucking killed him!"

Shikamaru merely narrowed his eyes as if disappointed in Naruto. _Fuck you Shikamaru. _"He was a traitor, and it would've happened anyway. I just did it sooner to save time."

"Bullshit. You did it because you wanted your revenge." Naruto snapped back, not backing down from the shadow user's challenge.

Naruto watched as his words struck a nerve and the ANBU commander actually showed a brief flash of uncontrollable rage. "I won't deny it but I hardly think it was that simple Uzumaki." Naruto was about to say something but the shadow walker cut him off. "Naruto, he killed Asuma-sensei; he raped and killed Ino. All before Chouji and I. The bastard was scum, and you know it." Naruto could've sworn he felt the damn fox laughing in the back of his head and had to fight from attacking his superior at those words. "I gave him a quick death out of respect for the friendship between you and me. Otherwise I would've made damn sure that his death was as slow and painful as possible."

Naruto watched as the man turned his back on Naruto and began walking away. He was about to enter the shadows in the corner of the room before the man looked back over his shoulder, "I think it's time you grow up Uzumaki. He wasn't your friend; he would've killed you on more than one occasion if Kyubi hadn't been sealed into your body at birth. Friends don't try to impale each other." Then without another word, the man silently merged with the shadows, leaving the room through his trademark technique.

Naruto merely glared at the spot where the man had vanished to for a long time before snarling and slamming his fist through the coffee table in front of the couch. The small table all but exploded into wooden shrapnel, and the sound was deafening in the small room. He closed his eyes and took several deep breathes to calm himself, already beginning to hear the rumblings of the Kyubi that began whenever he was truly angry. _Get back in your cage._

So in tune with his anger, he almost lashed out when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and glared at the individual before lowering his eyes when he saw who it was. He couldn't meet Hinata's eyes as she told him she was heading back to her place to prepare and that she would see him later. He said nothing as she left the room, but couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. His being pissed at their superior wasn't helping matters, and he knew that Hinata still cared for her family, despite what they had done to her. He couldn't imagine the worry that she must have for her little sister, in addition to the others in her family that she was still relatively close with. In the face of that, Naruto knew that his anger was a non-issue for the great picture, and what Shikamaru said wasn't wrong. As much as that simple fact pissed him off beyond measure.

It was still unsettling to take orders from the man who killed the closest thing you ever had to a brother.

He shook his head as he slowly rose from the couch and headed to prepare himself. There was a time and a place for venting his anger, and the night before what would shape to be a pain in the ass detail was not one of them. He forced himself to calm down, slamming the mental locks on the Kyubi's influence, knowing full well what the fox wanted. _Things were going so well today too. Well, such is the life of shinobi I suppose._ He stopped his musings as he mentally began preparing a checklist of things he would need. If he knew Shino well enough, their patrols of the Hyuga district would start before dawn tomorrow. _Bug boy is nothing if not meticulous._

He was proven right when in less than three hours, the messenger kikai that Naruto had grown to despise were dancing in front of his eyes, apparently remembering how stubborn he was sometimes to ignore them. He brushed them out of his way before pulling on his porcelain ANBU mask, the scarred mask the only physical memory of the man who taught him the Yondaime's trademark technique.(2)

He made sure to be on time tonight, as he knew that Shino would chew him out royally if he wasn't. He knew that once the two were alone he was already going to be verbally beaten up about the way he acted during the briefing with the ANBU Commander. _Best not to test my luck. We'll need it if this guy is as good as oba-chan is thinking..._

The team was already there with the exception of Hinata. He quickly scanned for chakra sources before whispering to Shino, "Should Hinata be involved in this operation?" He flinched as his voice, although repressed, showed obvious worry, something unacceptable when wearing the mask of Konoha's elite.

His captain merely looked at him without a word. Naruto had to fight to keep from flinching under the blank stare that he just knew the man was watching him with. So unsettled by the man's stare that he almost missed it when he spoke up. "I believe that it would be harder on her if she were not involved. Her Byagukan will be an asset and she has a personal stake in our success."

Naruto frowned at the dispassionate tone of his captain, despite knowing that the bug user was as concerned as he was over their friend. He and Hinata may be good friends now, but Shino was her genin teammate and Naruto knew that was a bond that he had no hope of reaching with the quiet and modest young woman. He wasn't satisfed though, and clarified his question. "What if Rose shows herself though?"

Shino said nothing at that, but Naruto got the sense that he had already considered that possibility. "... Rose has spoken of her displeasure of the Hyuga clan on numerous occasions. There is a case where if Rose were to come out that she would simply let the assassin succeed." There was a pause, as if the ANBU captain was still trying to determine what to say. Finally, he added, "But if there is something Rose hates more than Hinata's clan, it's to lose. Either way, it would prove... interesting." Naruto only mentally cursed out his captain at those cryptic words, forcing himself to say nothing more as Hinata arrived.

Before Shino gave them their orders, Naruto spared the woman in question a worried glance beneath his mask before shaking his head. _Pull yourself together kid. If you're worried about her, just make sure nothing happens to her. Or Rose. You can handle that, can't you brat? _He only smirked beneath his mask at that last thought, having heard it spoken by the voice of his old sensei. _Damn straight, old pervert. Damn straight._

_-_

Here's the third chapter of Clans. If you haven't figured this out by now, the next chapter will finish up the story, and will be from Hinata's perspective... mostly. I'm just going to make a few notes here; they will mostly reference things that are going to take place in the Sound-Leaf war. Once I have actually written these stories, I will come back and remove these references.

(1) Event that takes place shortly after the end of the war. This is definitely making it into the Sound-Leaf war collection. I had actually written the event as part of this chapter (flashback). However, in the end, it doesn't really add anything really, and just ended up making the chapter longer than it needed to be. I'm going to rewrite it and put in the Sound-Leaf war collection for those who would be interested.

(2)I've made mention in Shino's story (chapter 1) that the mask he reported to his first day of ANBU duty had this scratched mask. Not sure if I'll actually make that into a story or not but for the reader's understanding, the mask is Jiraiya's from when he served in ANBU in his youth.

(3)The references made during Naruto's interactions with Sakura and Shikamaru are pretty straight forward. The timeline that leads to these incidents are going to take up several one shots from different character perspectives in my Sound-Leaf war collection. If you can't put it together from what I've already given though, I'd be surprised.

I originally had this really detailed explanation of how the Uzumaki 'clan' name came about that was going to be working into the whole adoption speech but then Kishimoto let it slipped that it was his mother's surname. So that kind of messed with that whole scene. I think it still turned out pretty well.

* * *

**EDIT: 1-30-08**

Sorry to the few readers who were following this story, but I'm afraid that I am killing this fic, at least for the time being. I'll leave what I have posted, but don't expect any updates any time soon. The main reason for this is that, quite frankly, I enjoy working on Tragedy of Repetition more. I was going to take a hiatus from that story to actually finish this one, but now that I'm actually working on Hinata's chapter, its become plain to me that the idea I had in plan for this story has exceeded my skill to actually put it to coherent prose. Not that saying so means much, but when I originally envisioned this chapter, it didn't seem as difficult to pull off. Now that I'm actually at the point to do so, I've realized how... optimistic I was with this project.

Clans was meant to be a different take on Naruto, at least in the temporary. Too many stories in the Naruto section of this site either revolve around so-and-so hooking up with so-and-so, usually done pretty poorly or unbelievably. That or stories making (insert character here) awesome in order to 'improve' on the Naruto storyline in whatever manner the author chose. Hell, in a way, I am doing the same thing in ToR. I wanted this story to be an experiment, and I'm not sure that I even pulled it off with what I already have posted. It was just meant to be an average day in the lives of an ANBU team. No big overall plot, no big enemy to fight. Just normal actions that might happen on an ANBU patrol, how being in ANBU interferes with one's personal life, how being a shinobi can mess with your head, among other things.

Essentially, I wanted to do a story about an ANBU team, without a plot. At this, I have failed horribly, as in Naruto's chapter I have already introduced a villian and plotline of sorts. While, in the end, this doesn't really detract from is already here, it is drifted from what I originally intended. When I finished this, I will probably still finish this small 'plotline' (as I hesitate to even it call it that.)

Maybe one day I'll come back to it, when I feel I finally have the writing skill to convey what I want in Hinata's chapter, but for now, its going into the depths of my hard drive. Perhaps if I actually get enough interest in this, I'll still try. I mean, I can always come back and rewrite it if I don't think its great.

In turn, Tales of the Sound-Leaf war will also be canceled. Due to the same reasons that are plaguing Hinata's chapter. Basically, I've got ideas, but no skill to be able to bring them to fruition at this time.

On the other hand, if anyone would like to take a crack at some of the ideas for Tales of the Sound-Leaf war, feel free to pm me. It was going to be a prequel of sorts to Clans, to explain some of the things that have led to this point. Basically, it was going to be 9 different sub-stories, from different points of view, that would encompass what has taken place in the Clans universe. (An example would be, as mentioned in this chapter near its beginning, the confrontation between Naruto and Kyuubi in which Naruto takes the Fox's eye in his mindscape, as told from the Kyuubi's perspective. Another would be Jiraiya's death, as told from Naruto's perspective.) Not that I'm trying to pawn off my work to others, but a few have expressed enough interest for me to throw this out, as it isn't something I would normally do.

Thanks for reading, and sorry to those who have been waiting for the next chapter.


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