The Yoinokuchi

So where are we going?" Zabuza asked Itachi, as their small group made it's way silently through the land of fire.

"We have a hide out about half way to Konoha. From there we can get in contact with the other members of our group" Itachi replied.

"And how many people are in the Yoinokuchi" Haku asked.

"At the moment five not including you two. We operate in pairs, as you can see Naruto-kun is usually my team member. As for who the others are, well the person in control would be Jiraiya-sama. And the other two well there is Akimi, she is Naruto's age and has a unique Kekkei Genkai, swift release. And her brother Akaru. They both fled from Kumo with to avoid them putting the girl into a forced breeding to try and reproduce the bloodline limit" Itachi replied.

"Huh Jiraiya... you mean Jiraiya of the sannin? On of the legendary three?" Haku asked.

"Yes, he left the direct service of Konoha almost four years ago now, although he is still very loyal to the village" Itachi said.

"Why would someone like Jiraiya leave his village?" Zabuza asked.

"He left because of Naruto here. He discovered him in the Land of Forests, but he was from Konoha originally" Itachi replied.

"He doesn't say much does he, since we left the Land of Waves he has barely said a word" Zabuza said indicating where Naruto was walking his hood up covering his face.

"Normally he wont shut up, my guess is something is bothering him" Itachi said.

"The team from Konoha, they will inform the hokage and will send a hunter ninja after us. I'm sure of it" Naruto said finally speaking.

"We have time, Kakashi wont abandon his mission" Itachi said.

"Then I would say we have about three days before they start the search, are you sure this is the best hide out to use" Naruto said.

"Lighten up kid, what are a bunch of Hunter ninja going to do, we will just take care of them when they show themselves" Zabuza said with a wicked grin.

"I will not kill Konoha shinobi unless I am forced too" Naruto said.

"We should be fine, there are the best defenses we can make guarding the place. And we only need to stay there until we can get a message to Jiraiya-sama saying we found Zabuza" Itachi said.

They walked for a few more miles before they came to a large boulder. Naruto moved up to it as simply brushed it out of the way like it was not even there.

"Well, it's no palace, but it is a damn sight better than the places we have been hiding" Zabuza said as he looked around.

They had entered a large underground complex that seemed to run deep into the earth.

"Itachi show them to their rooms, I'm going to go train" Naruto said and left down a separate path.

"Alright, just try not to destroy anything" Itachi replied.

"Kid seems to be a little cold on us" Zabuza said.

"I don't think he approves of your line of work. Naruto-kun is a rather gentle person, so he usually dislikes people who kill for fun, it may take him awhile to accept you as members.

"Doesn't like people who kill for fun huh, then what is the point of this group?" Zabuza asked.

"In essence we are mostly mercenary's, but most of what we do helps people, for example we do not take missions to kill civilian bridge builders" Itachi said.

"you think you can talk to me like that, and get away with it! I should cleave you where you stand" Zabuza said.

"You're welcome to try, but I wouldn't recommend it. Your reasons for taking those missions are your own, none of us will truly know the type of person we are until we are about to die. Follow me your rooms are this way" Itachi said expressionlessly and walked off.

"Heh I like that, I guess doing good can't hurt as long as I get to bust Yagura's shell I could care less" Zabuza said.

Haku on the other hand was thrilled to hear of the type of work they would be doing, but she also wanted to talk to Naruto and let him know that she also did not like killing when she could avoid it.

They walked down several flights of stairs and made it to a large chamber with several doors on each side. "Pick a room, the first two in the right are taken by our other two members, inside you will find everything you need" Itachi said.

"So where do you and the kid stay?" Zabuza asked.

"Naruto-kun, Jiraiya-sama and I each have our own levels, if you are opposed to us having more room or dislike your room, take it up with Naruto-kun, he built this place after all" Itachi said and turned to leave giving no further explanation.

"Well Haku, what do you think, if they can get me another crack at Yagura and into the resistance they have my support" Zabuza said.

"I think we should see what this is like first then decide if we want to stay or not" Haku suggested.

"Yeah why not. Come on lets pick a couple of rooms" Zabuza said.

Meanwhile Naruto was sitting in his training area in deep meditation when Itachi arrived. "You know, if you act this way every time a missing ninja joins us you wont end up liking many of the members" Itachi said.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and stood up. "It is not that I dislike them, it's that their attitude is wrong, we are supposed to be striving for peace and someone like Zabuza wants nothing but to destroy" Naruto said.

"Perhaps that is all he knows, he was made into the demon of the bloody mist, but you saw the way he looked at the girl, it was the way a father looks at his own child, there is hope for him and you know it" Itachi said.

"Maybe, but I would like some proof before I show them any trust" Naruto said.

"Very well, how is your training coming along?" Itachi asked.

"Not very well, I can picture what I want but it is taking far too long to create" Naruto said.

"I do not think Yin/Yang chakra manipulation will be an easy thing to master, after all you are trying to create something out of nothing and breath life into it. Perhaps you should continue by trying one at a time, try to create something that doesn't live. You might be attempting the impossible to do both" Itachi said.

"Yeah maybe your right. I think I have had enough for now, besides I need to go contact Jiraiya sensei" Naruto said.

"Yes that would be a good idea. By the way, do you know when Akimi and Akaru will be returning?" Itachi asked.

"Couple of days probably, it depends what mission they have taken. Although I don't see that it matters, wont we be off to the Land of Water soon enough to make contact with the resistance?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe, that all depends on Jiraiya-sama. I do not think he will send all four of us to meet with the resistance in the Land of water, a large group of powerful shinobi will be noticed. My guess is he will just send Zabuza and either myself or you and the girl Haku" Itachi said.

"So he is going to split up our team when we have never failed a mission no matter how difficult? That's insane!" Naruto said.

"I do not believe it will be a permanent thing, just until we earn the trust of the leaders in the resistance movement" Itachi said.

"Oh well, guess I will just have to accept it if that's the way it turns out" Naruto said.

"Who knows you might find it refreshing to be teamed with someone other than me, my emotionless style can be a bit of a come down from your usual energetic self when you are on a mission with Jiraiya-sama. I have seen that you are far more in control of your emotions but less like yourself while we are teamed together" Itachi said.

"Oh well I guess I have just given up trying to get you to lighten up that's all" Naruto replied happily.

"Well I am shocked, I didn't think you knew how to give up" Itachi said allowing for a rare smile to cross his face.

(Konoha, One Week later)

Team seven made there way to the mission hall for their debriefing with the hokage. Kakashi had made the team move as quickly as they could once the mission was complete so they could get back to Konoha as soon as possible.

"Team seven reporting back from the completion of a successful C turned A ranked mission" Kakashi said.

"A ranked! What do you mean A ranked?" Iruka yelled in shock.

"The mission became A ranked due to arrival of several missing ninja. In fact it could almost be considered S ranked after the appearance of missing ninja Itachi Uchiha" Kakashi said.

"What? You had a run in with Itachi?" the Hokage asked.

"Yes Hokage-sama. What's more he was not alone he had a partner with him" Kakashi said.

"Who would Itachi Uchiha someone who killed his own clan in a quest for his own power possibly have as a partner, I mean who would be brave and stupid enough to take that risk" Iruka said.

"Naruto Uzumaki" Kakashi said.

"What, I know that name. You mean the Kyuubi child!" Iruka asked.

"That's enough Iruka!" Hiruzen ordered.

"Sorry Hokage-sama" the Academy teacher apologized.

"So Naruto was with him, this is most disturbing news, however as Naruto-kun is not a ninja of this village we cannot label him as a missing ninja, nor has he broken any laws to justify placing him in the bingo book" Hiruzen said. The old Hokage may have looked troubled on the outside, but inside he couldn't have been happier, the boy he once saw as a grandson was safe, and the most loyal ninja he knew was looking after him. He also knew this meant that Jiraiya would have been around some place as well.

"That's not all Hokage-sama, Naruto does not look the same, he may still have the spiky golden hair and the whisker marks, but his eyes have changed. They are no longer blue" Kakashi informed the Hokage.

"What do you mean Kakashi-kun eyes do not simply change color, well unless it is some sort of Kekkei Genkai, like the sharingan, of course" Hiruzen said.

"That's the thing, Itachi said Naruto possesses the Rinnegan. Naruto's eyes were completely purple the iris and sclera were the same color and it had this ripple patten of concentric circles that expanded out from a tiny dot like pupil" Kakashi said.

The pipe that the hokage had been smoking fell from his mouth and hit the desk. 'That must be the real reason Jiraiya-kun never brought Naruto back to the village, there are people who would try and take Naruto's power for themselves no matter the cost. So Jiraiya did what he needed to, he wanted to make sure that Naruto would be safe' "What can you tell me about Naruto's abilities?" Hiruzen asked.

"I could not say, Sasuke attempted to attack Itachi twice, the first time he threw several kunai and Naruto was able to stop them in mid air without moving an inch, then when Sasuke charged Naruto sent him flying before he even got close to attack range with a wave of his arm" Kakashi said.

"I see, anything else?" Hiruzen questioned.

"Just one thing, when they first arrived we were about to start battle with Zabuza Momoichi, we were stopped by Naruto and Itachi, from what Hinata said she saw with her Byakugan, Naruto seemed to absorb Zabuza's Hidden Mist jutsu" Kakashi said.

"I see, he sounds like a talented young shinobi then, as expected from someone with the eyes of the sage" Hiruzen said.

"We should send a team after them, Naruto belongs in this village, it's his home" Kakashi said.

"Is it? Naruto was eight when he left the village, now he would be thirteen. Five years, he has been gone five years his old apartment still stands maybe but I do question how much of a home this place ever was to him. Hated and rejected his whole life, and I am sure where ever he found himself after he left here people didn't naturally shun him. In these last five years Naruto-kun has had a chance to live a life he never would have had if he stayed in Konoha, a happy one" the Hokage said.

"But Hiruzen-sama surely you want him to return?" Kakashi asked almost pleadingly.

"Certainly I do, but I want him to return on his own, not because we force him" the old Sarutobi said.

"Very well, I will not make any attempts to locate and return Naruto to the village" Kakashi said.

"Thank you Kakashi-kun, now I would like everyone in this room to swear that they will never say a word about Naruto or the Rinnegan to anyone once they leave this room" Hiruzen said.

"I don't see what's so great about those eyes, I bet the Sharingan is a far superior Dojutsu" Sasuke said.

'Yeah Sasuke-kun is right, did you see those eyes that kid had, they were creapy looking, even the Hyuuga's pupil less eyes look better' Sakura thought which was greeted approvingly by her inner self.

"You may be right Sasuke-kun. The Rinnegan is surrounded by uncertainty, we only have myths and legends to go on, so we do not know what powers the Rinnegan truly possesses. So the Sharingan may well be the superior Dojutsu" Hiruzen said, although he did not fully believe it himself.

"Yes, but there has to be something extraordinary about the child if Itachi Uchiha has taken an interest in the boy" Iruka said.

"There has always been something extraordinary about Naruto-kun and it is not what you may think, I would challenge any person to truly get to know Naruto and not like him, he has this glow about him, when ever he was around it was like seeing the will of fire incarnate" Hiruzen said.

"Will that be all Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes you are dismissed" the Hokage replied.

(Yoinokuchi Hideout)

It had been a week since Zabuza and Haku had arrived and it was fair to say the pair had found their stay comfortable, lots of the luxury's that were often kept from missing ninja like proper showers and news of the outside world were easy to come by in the Yoinokuchi hideout, they even had their own televisions and training facilities. In fact the only thing that had Haku annoyed was the fact that she had as of yet failed to talk to Naruto and thank him for the opportunity to join the Yoinokuchi and tell him that she admired him for not wanting to kill his opponents and only taking missions that help people.

In fact Naruto had been strangely absent, they had seen Itachi come and go from small scouting errands but Naruto had not been seen at all, when questioning Itachi about this he just told her not to worry about him and that he could handle himself.

It wasn't until a week later that she saw Naruto again. She had gone outside to enjoy the sunshine and pick herbs when she saw Naruto casually walking towards the entrance of the base. 'This is my chance, I need to talk to him while I have a chance' Haku thought as she put down her basket.

"Hello Naruto" she said and waved to get his attention.

Naruto stopped and turned to see what the girl wanted. "Uh hi" Naruto said.

"Where have you been? We haven't seen you around for almost two weeks now" Haku said.

"Oh I've been looking for Jiraiya sensei, but he is a pain in the ass to find" Naruto said in a friendly manner.

"Oh any luck?" Haku asked.

"Not really, but I did manage to find one of his summon toads, so he must be spying on someone and can't show himself. But at least I managed to get him the message, he should return here or at least to one of the other hideouts and get in touch with us via the radio link we have set up between the bases in a few days" Naruto said.

"Oh that's good I suppose. Um I was wondering if I could ask you a question?" Haku said.

"Well technically you just did, but if you want to ask another one I see no problem with that" Naruto said.

"Well I was just wondering why you fight, if you don't like killing?" Haku said.

"Hm, well I guess I fight to protect others, and make life easier for people in need" Naruto answered.

"I see, do you have anyone precious to you?" Haku asked.

"Are you asking me if I have a girlfriend?" Naruto asked.

"No, I was asking if there were any people in your life that you think of as as precious, people that you would die to protect" Haku explained.

"Oh I get it, yeah I guess I do, there's Jiraiya sensei and Itachi sensei. And I used to be really close to the Hokage so I would even add him to the list" Naruto replied.

"I see, that's good. I always think true strength comes from the need to protect something, it allows you to dig deeper than you thought you ever could and become stronger. Zabuza-sama is my precious person. He found me when I was young starving to death and looked after me, in exchange I became his tool, I am his weapon because that is my purpose in life" Haku said.

"That's a completely bullshit, you may think Zabuza thinks of you only as a tool but I can tell that he thinks of you as much more than that. He sees you as a daughter" Naruto said.

"How would you know? You have barely even spoken to Zabuza-sama and even then you did not seem to approve of him much" Haku said.

"His eye's give him away, the way he looks at you and positions himself while we were walking to shield you in case we turned on you. It is a skill Itachi sensei taught me, you can read a lot about your opponent by simply watching their actions around people. His blood thirsty attitude is a front that he puts up, he is hiding from himself and doesn't even realize that" Naruto said.

"You know, you speak like you are much older than you look" Haku said.

"Yeah I get that a lot" Naruto laughed scratching the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

"I want to thank you for letting us join you and Itachi, for the first time since I was a young girl I feel like I have a place that accepts me, a place that I can call home. I have never had that with Zabuza sama as we were always on the run from Kiri's Hunter ninja or taking missions for questionable characters trying to fund Zabuza-sama's next Coup attempt" Haku said.

"No worry's but you shouldn't thank me, you should thank Jiraiya sensei he was the one who ordered us to recruit you" Naruto said.

"Just out of curiosity what would have happened if we refused?" Haku asked.

"Well to you, nothing. But we would have just captured Zabuza and delivered him to the resistance as a gift to gain their trust" Naruto said.

"You really think you could capture Zabuza-sama that easily?" Haku asked skeptically.

"It wouldn't be too difficult, I imagine we would have had a harder time deciding which of us got to fight" Naruto said casually.

"You're kidding right Zabuza-sama was one of the seven swordsmen of the mist, they were elite ninja from Kiri" Haku said.

"True, but Itachi and I are not exactly your run of the mill shinobi. When you fight Itachi it is basically over the moment you make eye contact with him, and I could probably defeat him with my gravity jutsu without even moving" Naruto said.

"Gravity jutsu? Can you show me some?" Haku asked.

"I guess so, I will just keep it small though... Chibaku Tensei" Naruto said he created a small black orb in his palm and sent it away from his body.

Haku watched wide eyed as the earth lifted to create a small ball of earth compressed into a small ball about the size of Haku's fist.

Naruto dropped the jutsu before it got too big and let the orb fall to the ground. "Bansho Ten'in" Naruto said extending an arm toward the orb and it shot forward into the palm of Naruto hand.

"Wow that's Amazing" Haku said as she stared at the compressed ball of earth.

"Well it's nothing to the damage that jutsu can really do! Although to tell the truth, I have never really tried it out" Naruto admitted.

"It's still amazing, I mean I have never seen a gravity jutsu before" Haku admitted.

"Yeah I guess it pretty cool... Someone is approaching, wait more than one I think it's two people" Naruto said turning to the east.

"Are they a threat?" Haku asked tentatively.

"No I know who it is" Naruto said relaxing as two ninja in white cloaks appeared. The younger of the two was a kunoichi around the same age as Naruto although she was slightly taller. She had long black hair, with bright yellow highlights that ran down to her waist. And yellow eyes with black pupils. The other taller member of the pair was slightly older than Itachi and had light brown curly hair, and the same eyes as the girl who Haku realized must have been his sister.

"You guys have been gone for a while, what happened you get into some trouble with your last mission?" Naruto asked.

"You could say that, we went to clear out a bunch of bandits but found that most of them were missing ninja from Iwa" the boy said.

"Yeah that would be about right, man you guys always get all the luck, every time Itachi sensei and I get a bandit mission it is always only two or three bad guy wannabe's we never get groups of ninja" Naruto said.

"Yeah well we will swap any day, a bunch of jounin and chunin level ninja may be child's play for you and Itachi. But we are not you, that mission was tough! And by the way who's the new girl?" the dark haired kunoichi asked.

"Oh yeah, Akimi, Akaru this is Haku. She came here with Zabuza Momoichi" Naruto said.

"Hm oh yeah Jiraiya-sama said you had found him, he will be back in two day's to give us our next assignments" Akaru said.

"It's about time, we have been waiting two weeks" Naruto said.

"What do you care, last time I saw you, you were whining about never having any time off" Akimi replied.

"Maybe I just like to complain"  Naruto joked.

"That's not a maybe, I have never met anyone who likes to complain more than you do" Akimi laughed.

"Come on inside so you can meet Zabuza, you could end up working with him at some point, so may as well try and get to know him better. In truth I am guilty of avoiding him myself" Naruto suggested.

End Chapter!