8 Chapter 8: A Thief's Gratitude

And here we are in our next chapter.

A quick recap: last chapter Sarutobi asked Raphael to join him in a mission to Suna, Itachi was made an ANBU captain, and Naruto showed his stuff in the Academy. *nods*

So let's get on to our next adventure.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Assassin's Creed. They are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft.

Chapter 8

A Thief's Gratitude

For the umpteenth time, Raphael cursed the desert. He cursed the glaring sun, he cursed the lose sand; he cursed the intolerable heat and frigid nights. He cursed the creatures in the sand waiting to kill him at a moment's notice. He cursed anything and everything involving the desert.

He was traveling with Sarutobi and a group of five of Konoha's most elite ANBU, the personal bodyguards of the Hokage himself. They were all wearing light cloaks to shield themselves from the sun. One of them was currently travelling with Sarutobi and Raphael, while the other four were in pairs and scouting the flanks.

Raphael panted softly, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "How much longer till we get out of this blasted desert?" He asked, looking at Sarutobi.

The old man chuckled softly as he glanced at the young Assassin. "Not too long now, young Raphael," he said. "In fact, you can see it just over this next rise."

Indeed, as they came over the next sand dune, they saw the rock like walls surrounding Sunagakure. Raphael let out a sigh of relief. "Finally! I can't wait to take a bath," he said.

Sarutobi chuckled only to tense slightly. "A Suna patrol is moving to intercept us," he said, as the ANBU next to him used a whistle signal to alert the other ANBU. The four ANBU shifted position to new places.

Within two minutes, a group of four Suna ninja arrived in front of them. Each wore the standard gray and khaki/cream colored uniforms and flak vests, as well as turbans with Suna headbands over the loose cloth. The leader eyed Raphael, Sarutobi, and his ANBU escort.

"Identify yourselves," he said gruffly, as the three behind him tensed, ready for combat.

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. "I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. I'm here to negotiate with your Kazekage."

The four shinobi kept careful watch on them. "We've been expecting you. Please follow us to Suna," the leader said.

At that moment, the other four ANBU joined the group, causing the youngest of the four Suna shinobi to almost yelp out and grabbed a kunai, only to be stopped by one of his companions.

With a nod, Sarutobi and the Konoha group followed the Suna patrol towards Suna. They came to a narrow canyon that seemed carved through the rocky wall surrounding the village, which served as the only official entrance and exit into and out of Suna. There, a couple of gate guards stopped them.

"I need to see identification papers," one of them spoke, stepping forward. Sarutobi nodded, and motioned for the ANBU and Raphael to hand over their identification papers, as he did the same.

After consulting them, the gate guard nodded and allowed them to proceed through. The patrol led them through the canyon entranceway. When they exited, they were greeted with a view of the village.

Raphael quietly studied the buildings from the shadow of his hood. Unlike Konoha, where the buildings were made of wood or a rock like substance they called concrete, Suna's buildings appeared to be made of sand shaped into buildings and hardened into solid rock. It also became apparent that Suna's wall was in fact a natural one, as it was part of a massive canyon that surrounded the village within a hollowed out area. Nature had formed a defensive position that hid the village and protected it.

Raphael also noticed the people were avoiding them, moving out of the way. Several Suna shinobi could be seen here and there, sending glares when they didn't think the group was looking.

"What's with the evil looks?" he asked Sarutobi quietly, while Sarutobi sighed.

"It is part of the reason I am here, Raphael-san. Their Daimyo has been cutting the budget to Suna, and has recently begun handing Konoha missions normally reserved for their village. I'm hoping to reach an agreement with the Kazekage that will solve this problem," the aged Hokage said.

At that moment, the patrol leader stopped outside a rather tall building. "This is the hotel where you and your group will be staying during your time here. Please note that each member of your group will be monitored when they leave the hotel," the jounin said as he handed Sarutobi a piece of paper with their reservation information on it, before he and his squad left.

Sarutobi smiled at his ANBU and Raphael. "Shall we see our rooms?" he asked, as they entered the hotel.

Within a few minutes, the group of six was situated in three rooms next to each other. The ANBU had been split into two pairs and each pair had one of the outside rooms. The middle room was for Sarutobi, the remaining ANBU, and Raphael.

Currently, the entire group was in the middle hotel room. Sarutobi was speaking his plans to them. "The ANBU will be taking rotations on their jobs here. Two will accompany me when I go to see the Kazekage. The other three will remain here to guard the rooms. Raphael, I want you to head into the village. Keep an ear to the ground, see what you can hear. And try not to cause any problems," he said.

Raphael nodded. "Understood Hokage-sama. I'll get right on it."

The aged Hokage nodded with a smile. "For now though, let's relax. It's been a long journey, and I think we've earned it."

Raphael nodded in agreement and headed towards the bathroom, while the ANBU remained passive. Sarutobi smiled as he sat down with his pipe and lit it, intent on a quiet smoke. He was going to enjoy this quiet moment, while it lasted.

Elsewhere in the village, a small red haired boy was sitting on a swing. Many people were ignoring him or glaring angrily at him. He didn't care though. Two days ago, he would wonder why they do it. Why no one wanted to be around him. Not even his siblings. But now, it didn't matter. He slowly looked up, the skin above his left eye still tender from where his 'mother' had given him the symbol and reminder of his purpose. The kanji for love, etched permanently into his forehead, glowed an angry blood red.

"Soon mother," he whispered. "Soon I shall give you what you want," he whispered, his light green eyes showing a slight madness to them, before returning to their normal emotionless stare.

Konoha Academy

Naruto grinned as he watched Hinata shyly make another move on the board in between the two. It was lunch time at Konoha's Academy, and he was teaching Hinata how to play chess, like Raphael had taught him.

Hinata bit her lip as she finished moving a pawn. Naruto grinned as he moved a rook. "Check," he said.

Hinata quickly began scanning the board, as Naruto watched her. "I'd suggest the bishop," he said, as he pointed to her remaining bishop.

Nearby, Chouji Akamichi and Shikamaru Nara watched. Or rather, Chouji voraciously ate his food while Shikamaru watched, intrigued.

"That game…Chouji, doesn't that kind of look like Shougi?" He asked his large friend. Chouji just kept eating, as Shikamaru kept watching the pair.

Naruto grinned as he moved his queen. "Checkmate," he said, trapping Hinata's king.

Hinata sighed sadly. "Y-You win," she said. Naruto blinked as he noticed her downcast expression.

"Hey now, don't feel too bad. It's just a game. And you're getting better at it," he said, trying to cheer her up. Hinata just blushed a little and glanced away.

At that moment, a shadow came across them. "Hey," came a tired sounding drawl. They both looked up to see Shikamaru glancing at the board. "What's this game?"

Naruto blinked. "It's called chess. My sensei Raphael taught it to me. It's like Shougi, but different."

Shikamaru blinked. "Can I play?" He asked the pair. Hinata quietly moved so he could sit where she was sitting, as Naruto reset the board, and began explaining the rules.

Chouji, who had followed, sat down and began eating from a chip bag he had, as Naruto and Shikamaru began to play.

By the time the bell rang, the game had drawn a small crowd of curious students. The two were in a stalemate, each move countered. Shikamaru sighed as the bell rang. "Draw?" He asked.

Naruto nodded. "Draw," he agreed, as they both tipped their kings over. Naruto began packing up as Shikamaru tilted his head.

"That was an interesting game. Perhaps we could play again sometime?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto grinned. "Sure thing. I'm Naruto, and this is my friend Hinata," he said, as Hinata shyly waved.

Shikamaru pointed to Chouji. "This is my friend Chouji, and I'm Shikamaru."

Naruto grinned, happy to meet new friends, as they all headed inside.

Once they were all sitting down, their sensei, the Chuunin Kurenai, smiled at them. "Today we're going to be studying the origins of the modern Shinobi World," she said. "Now who knows the origins of chakra use?"

Sakura Haruno, a pink haired civilian girl, raised her hand eagerly. When Kurenai called on her, she smiled. "Chakra is an energy that exists in all people. It is a mixture of physical energy produced from one's body, and spiritual energy that comes from a person's experience and intelligence. However no one was able to access it until the Rikudo Sennin managed to access the chakra in his body. He learned to harness it, and passed his teachings to others."

Kurenai nodded. "Indeed. We'll get back to the Rikudo Sennin in a few moments. As Sakura said, chakra is something that exists in all people, but no one even knew of its existence before the Rikudo Sennin. However shinobi existed even before the use of chakra. Back then though, they were simple peasants and farmers who objected to being ruled over by the Daimyo and their armies of samurai. These people rebelled, running away and training themselves to being able to fight back. Since they lacked the equipment and resources of the samurai, they turned instead to using surprise, stealth, and deception to combat the samurai. Instead of engaging in a one on one battle, they would sneak through the shadows, striking at enemies with surprise, and utilizing whatever advantage they could use to win."

She smiled when she saw the class was listening intently. "About one thousand years ago, the Rikudo Sennin was a monk who had gone out to meditate in a forest near his monastery. However something occurred while he was out there, and upon his return, he had changed. He had somehow unlocked the secret of utilizing chakra. Despite being called a heretic and blasphemer, he continued to explore his new abilities, leading to him eventually spreading his teachings to others who he taught how to utilize their chakra," she said.

"Of course with the discovery of chakra came new dangers. The samurai class, having long since held power, did not appreciate the idea of there being simple peasants with more power than themselves. They attempted to exterminate the Rikudo Sennin and his followers. However they soon found the tide turned against them. Some of those who had learned from the Rikudo Sennin were also from the established groups and clans of shinobi who had been fighting against the samurai. With their new found abilities and power, they turned the tide against the samurai armies sent against them and the Rikudo Sennin. Within a matter of months, the samurai class within the Elemental Nations had been reduced to a mere handful of warriors, who were forced to give up their quest. The Rikudo Sennin retreated into solitude after the samurai-shinobi war, upset over the pain and death his teachings had brought. It was not until a monstrous creature of immeasurable power and strength, known as the Juubi, threatened the whole world that he returned from his self-imposed exiled. He managed to defeat the Juubi, and then brought the various shinobi together under his banner. Under his care, the shinobi stopped their internal fighting, and began to work together to protect the peoples of their home countries. This was the beginning of the shinobi world as we know it now," she said finished, smiling. "Now if you'll all please get out your books and open them to page twelve, there are questions there for you to answer, and to turn in at the end of class." (1)

As the students began pulling out their books, Naruto leaned over to Hinata. "The Rikudo Sennin sounds awesome, doesn't he?" He whispered.

Hinata nodded. "Y-Yes he does," she whispered back. "T-To not only discover chakra, but to defeat a terrifying monster like the Juubi?"

Naruto grinned. "Well one day, we'll be that strong too, won't we?"

Hinata just blushed, as they got to work, while Naruto grinned as he imagined being super strong and cool.

Suna

Raphael hummed quietly as he made his way through Suna, taking a tour of the village. Sarutobi was currently negotiating with the Kazekage, and the ANBU not with the Hokage were guarding/watching over the rooms, leaving Raphael with nothing to do, for the moment.

Raphael smiled as he looked around the village. To the casual observer, he would seem to be just another tourist, currently decked out in more comfortable civilian clothing, rather than his traditional Assassin robes. But in truth, Raphael was getting the layout of the village, looking at buildings for climbing, spots for hiding, and other various things an Assassin would want to know.

He smirked, as he sensed a couple of people following him. Suna shinobi assigned to keep track of him. He grinned as he made his way towards the marketplace, his shadows following.

In the marketplace, people were scurrying from stall to stall, buying essentials or gossiping with friends. Raphael smirked as he made his way into the mass of people, moving seamlessly through the crowd. Seeing one particular cluster of people, he slid over to them, moving under the shadow of the building awning they were huddled under. He slowly leaned back against the wall, listening to the conversation while scanning for the Suna shinobi who had been following him. He grinned as he saw one of them on one building, scanning the marketplace. The other though was on the opposite side from his companion, and apparently still had a view of him.

Raphael quickly turned, and ducked into an alley between two buildings, before quickly using his chakra to scale the side of the building to a small balcony with an awning over it. Peeking into the inside of the building and not seeing anyone in the room, he vaulted up, grabbing one of the supports of the awning and swinging his legs up to hook on the other. He tilted his head back, looking back down into the alley, as he heard approaching footsteps on the roof.

At that moment, the two shinobi landed in the alley, and began looking around for him. Raphael stealthily dropped onto the balcony, and crouched down, listening to them.

"Where the hell did he go?!" The first one demanded as he kicked over an empty barrel.

"How should I know? You were the last one to see him," the second one said.

The first one was about to retort when there were cries of panic from the marketplace. The two shinobi quickly bolted from the alley, as Raphael blinked. He quickly climbed up to the roof and looked at the marketplace.

In the marketplace there was a crowd gathered around a couple of figures, who were busy brawling. The two shinobi were busy trying to get through the crowd. Raphael chuckled softly, watching the whole thing, only to blink as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he saw a figure appearing on the roof of another building that appeared to be a jewelry store. The figure was hard to make out, since they wear wearing a tan cloak that was similar in color to the building. The figure glanced over their shoulder at the brawl, before running.

Curious, Raphael quickly pursued the figure, following them as they vaulted over the edges of buildings and swung on poles. They seemed to be heading towards the far distant part of the village.

Raphael grunted as he vaulted over a low wall surrounding the edge of one roof, before stopping and hiding behind a dome shaped decoration as the figure stopped as well. The figure glanced over their shoulder before quickly shedding their cloak, revealing it to be a young girl, no more than thirteen or fourteen, with brown hair covered by a bandana. She was wearing a gray shirt and black shorts with a short skirt over it, and bandages wrapped around her legs, with black sandals on her feet. She grinned as she pulled out a bag tied to her waist, and pulled out a brilliant jewel. Still grinning, she hopped off the roof, and into the alleyway below.

Raphael quickly moved to the edge, only to blink as she found the girl backed against a wall, with two men standing in front of her. Neither was dressed in shinobi attire, but rather in somewhat ragged clothing. One held a rusty katana, the other a couple of knives. The katana wielding one pointed his sword at the girl.

"I thought your kind knew to stay out of our turf," he sneered, as he stepped closer, only for the girl to draw a knife from a sheathe held in the belt of her skirt-shorts.

"Since when is this your territory? The Suna Nezumi (Sand Rat) controls the southeastern part of the village," she snapped, ready to fight.

The knife wielding thug chuckled. "Not for long you don't. Your kind might as well hand over your territory right now," he said, as he prepared to lunge at the girl.

"Excuse me senor's?" Came a voice from behind them. The two men and the girl looked back behind the thugs, only to find Raphael standing there, one eyebrow raised. "I do believe that two on one are rather unfair odds, don't you?"

The katana wielding thug turned towards him. "This isn't your affair, stranger. And if you don't want me to cut that tongue from your mouth, you'll hand over your valuables, now!" he snapped, as he advanced on Raphael.

Raphael just smiled as he stepped forward, spreading his arms wide. "I'm afraid I don't have any money or anything on me right now. But there is something I can give you," he said, as the two advanced to within only a foot of each other.

Raphael's left hand suddenly lunged out, smacking the sword away as his right delivered a fast blow to the thugs stomach. He leaned over, his breath gone, as Raphael rolled over his back, driving both feet into the face of the knife wielding thug, who had come to the aid of his friend. Raphael spun, driving a low uppercut into the still bowled over thug's face, causing him to snap up straight, his head tilted back as blood flew from his mouth. Raphael kicked the man's katana into the air, then spun around a stab from the recovered knife wielding thug, he grabbed the man's still extended arm, and flipped him over into his companion, causing them both to sprawl on the ground. Raphael reached up, grabbing the falling katana, and held it towards the two cowering men on the ground.

"I suggest the two of you run along home now," he said, katana still pointed at them. The two thugs scrambled to their feet, bolting for the alley exit. Raphael simply smacked the katana blade against the wall, the rusty blade breaking from the hit, before he turned to the girl, only to find she was long gone. Raphael sighed. "Can't say I didn't expect that," he muttered, as he turned and began walking into the main street, heading back towards the hotel.

As he did, several figures in tan cloaks slowly rose up from the rooftops, where they watched him leave. The girl moved next to one of them, glancing at their hidden face. "What are you thinking dad?"

The figure watched Raphael retreating. "I'm thinking I apparently owe someone a debt."

Later that evening

Raphael was back in the hotel room with the ANBU and Sarutobi, reading a scroll. He blinked as there was a knock at the door, causing the ANBU to stiffen and reach for his weapons, as he approached the door. "Who is it?" The ANBU asked in a tense, businesslike manner.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but a letter was delivered to the hotel. It's addressed to this room, to the…'young bearded man'." The knocker answered.

The ANBU opened the door enough for the person on the other side to hand him the letter, before closing and locking the door. Raphael had gotten up when he heard who the letter was addressed to, and came over to the ANBU, who was examining the folded piece of paper. Sarutobi looked up from his bed where he was peacefully smoking his pipe.

"Now who would be sending you a letter Raphael-san?" He asked in interest, as Raphael took it. Raphael simply shrugged and opened it, reading the contents of the letter.

'You did my family a great service today. Come to Kaika Oashisu (Blooming Oasis) to discuss settling the debt we owe you. Signed, Suna Nezumi'.

Raphael's eyes widened a bit when he read who had signed it, as he remembered what the girl had said when cornered by those two men. He quickly went to get dressed and slid his hidden blade bracers on. "I've got to go out for a while. Looks like I apparently put someone in my debt today," he said.

Sarutobi nodded. "Just don't cause an incident, and please don't aggravate your escorts like earlier today," he said, having already been warned by the Kazekage for Raphael's actions in eluding his escorts.

Raphael chuckled. "Not my fault they couldn't keep up," he said, as he headed out.

Down in the lobby, Raphael found the check in attendant at the desk and approached him. "Excuse me? Where can I found the Kaika Oashisu?" He asked.

The attendant smiled. "Ahhh, that's a good bar. You can find it by heading right form outside the hotel, then make a left, then a right on the second intersection you come to. You'll find it there," he said.

Raphael nodded. "Thank you very much," he said, as he headed off. He grinned as he made his way out, sensing two somewhat frustrated Suna shinobi. He chuckled, guessing they were looking forward to a quiet stake out night.

He followed the attendant's instructions, grinning as he came to the Kaika Oashisu. It was indeed a bar, and a rather nice one, considering the people going in and out. He entered, making his way towards the bar, where he ordered a drink.

Sighing in contentment, he sat down on a barstool, and slowly glanced over his shoulder at the bar entrance. Sure enough, the two shinobi entered in a nonchalant fashion, and took seats at a table with their backs to the wall opposite the bar.

Raphael simply turned back to his drink, and finished it, before asking for another. The bartender came over and poured another drink, while also placing a napkin down. Raphael blinked as he noticed writing on the napkin, and slowly began reading it while downing his second drink.

Once he finished, he groaned and stood up, making his way back to the restrooms. As he disappeared into the back, one of the Suna shinobi followed to keep an eye on him. However when he reached the men's room and entered, he found Raphael standing at a urinal. He quietly slid out of the bathroom, not knowing he had just seen a shadow clone.

Meanwhile, Raphael grunted as he finished climbing through a hole in the roof over the woman's room. As he did, he panted softly, tired and a bit drained from creating even a single shadow clone. "Anko warned me those were draining, but still that was tiring," he panted, as he was helped up by a female hand.

"Keep quiet and let's go," the female said. She had been the one to give the note to the bartender, and had waited in the woman's room for Raphael, and helped him up through the ceiling. She was dressed in a tan cloak and hood, and now turned and began to run across the roofs, with Raphael tiredly following.

About ten minutes later, they were back in the southern part of the village. Raphael groaned a bit, as they stopped on a roof. "Are we almost there?" He asked.

The female turned her head. "Almost. But we can't let you know where we're going," she said, as two other cloaked figures appeared, one carrying a bag.

"Oh joy," Raphael said, as the bag was placed over his head. He felt the two new figures guiding him as they headed out.

It took them about thirty minutes on what Raphael assumed was a rather circuitous route to reach their destination. During which Raphael felt his clone disperse after returning to the Hokage and explaining things.

Finally, Raphael felt himself being placed into a chair and the bag being removed. Blinking, he shook his head a bit. "I've had warmer invitations," he said, as a figure in front of him chuckled while smoking on a cigarette.

"I'll bet," the figure said. "Let's get right to business, shall we? Earlier today you rescued a young teenage girl from a couple of ruffians. That girl was my daughter, and since you rescued her, I owe you a debt. Something I don't exactly enjoy owing," he said.

Raphael stretched a bit. "I see. And who exactly is it that owes me a debt?"

The figure moved forward, revealing a man in his early thirties with an eye patch over his right eye, partially hiding a scar that ran from his right ear to under the path. "You can call me Dorobou (thief). It's a good as name as any for myself. And I'm the head of the Suna Nezumi."

Raphael nodded. "You're a guild of thieves. I'm surprised you've survived inside a shinobi village," he said.

Dorobou pulled a chair out of the shadows and sat down. "Well there are ways to survive. I've found a few for my crew. But I want to get to business, alright?" He asked. "I'm not fond of strangers inside my home."

The young Assassin shrugged. "Very well. What exactly are you offering?" He asked.

The thief groaned as he sat back, flicking his cigarette to the floor and stomping it out. "We've got money. Or we can steal something for you," he said.

Raphael looked at him, before grinning. "Tell me…how good are you at gathering information?"

Dorobou blinked. "Information…you want information? Why?"

"Well my profession often finds me in need of good quality information about certain people. People who I have 'deals' with. If you might be willing to keep an ear out for information on certain people here in Kaze no Kuni, people who fit my criteria, and be willing to pass the information to me, then that could settle our debt," he said.

Dorobou growled. "Forget it," he said, as he stood. "I'm not going to betray my village or country," he said.

Raphael sighed. "I'm not asking for vital information on the village. I'm asking for information on black arms dealers, slave traders, criminal bosses, that sort of stuff. Anybody who might be in the business of making war or making the lives of innocent people horrible and miserable."

The thief growled in frustration, rubbing a hand over his face. "You're asking an awful lot for rescuing my daughter. Because I figure this would be a long term thing, yes?"

Raphael stood up. "Then how about this? From what happened earlier, when I rescued your daughter, I'm getting the idea you're in a turf war with another group of thieves or criminals, yes?"

Dorobou reluctantly nodded. "These guys are thugs and drug pushers from an outside crime syndicate. It's even rumored they're in human trafficking. My guess is they're here to try and expand their groups influence and income. And they don't take too kindly to my rejection to working with them," he said. "They've been doing their level best to wipe us out. What's worse is, they've drawn the attention of the Shinobi onto us."

Raphael blinked. "They weren't after you before? I didn't think shinobi took kindly to thieves in their village."

"You'd normally be right, but considering we never stole from those who didn't deserve it or couldn't afford it, they were willing to look the other way as a favor to fellow citizens of Suna. Now though, they hunt us and the others as well, because the Daimyo has been receiving complaints about the crime in Suna," Dorobou said.

Raphael grinned a bit. "But if your problem disappeared, and your group laid low for a while, then things would go back to normal?"

Dorobou blinked at him. "What are you thinking?"

Raphael leaned in a bit, still grinning. "What do you know about their operations?"

The Next Morning

"Out of the question," Sarutobi said, as he finished eating breakfast, and listening to Raphael speaking to him about what had happened last night. "I will not have you causing an international incident while I'm conducting negotiations to maintain the alliance between our villages," he said.

Raphael sighed. "Look, I know it sounds bad, but this can be beneficial to Suna as well," he said. "Think about it. Dorobou-san told me the Kazekage already has the Daimyo breathing down his neck to deal with the criminals here in Suna. If I succeed, then their top leader here in Suna 'disappears', their main base of operations goes down, and the Kazekage gets an anonymous letter detailing the information he needs to finish off whatever operations they have left in Suna. Then he can claim credit for dealing with the problem, and the Daimyo is happy."

"And what do you get out of all this?" Sarutobi asked.

"I get my own spy network here in Suna. My contact has agreed to pass me info on potential targets or allies, in exchange for doing this. Some of this information could go to helping Konoha as well," Raphael said, subtly offering a bribe.

The aged Hokage sighed, rubbing his forehead. "And you can't use Jiraiya's spy network for that? He already has one spanning the Elemental Nations."

Raphael shook his head. "Two reasons why I can't. The first reason is because they're asked to look for information regarding threats to Konoha's security. Even if we did task them with looking for other information, that would be overworking them and Jiraiya-san would need to recruit additional spies. If I start building my own separate network, it's for the better."

Sarutobi sighed quietly. "…can you promise me this won't come and haunt me?" He asked.

Raphael chuckled. "Remember, I'm a freelance mercenary. You can't be held accountable for all of my actions, right?"

The aged Hokage nodded. "I suppose not…alright. But please try to do it quietly, okay?" He asked.

Raphael smiled. "Hey, I'm an Assassin, remember?" He asked, as he headed off to prepare.

A couple hours later, the Hokage and his two ANBU guards headed off to another round of negotiations with the Kazekage. Not that long afterwards, an old man leaning on a cane slowly stumped out of the hotel, and headed off down the street. The Suna shinobi on watch duty ignored the old man, as he turned down a street. The old man grinned as he ducked into an alley, and quickly began removing the makeup and fake rubber nose, warts, and ears covering his face. "Those ANBU disguise kits are rather handy," Raphael muttered, as he quickly stored the fake rubber pieces in a storage scroll in one of his equipment pouches. He quickly threw off the bulky robe he had been wearing, revealing his own Assassin robes, before pulling the hood up and proceeding through the village.

Much like in Kumo, Raphael stuck to the alleys as much as he could as he traveled towards his destination. He had two targets, provided to him by Dorobou. The first was the main office and living space of the head of the criminal syndicate moving into Suna's Red Light District. It was in the upper floor of a one abandoned building, now converted into a covert gambling den. The other was a warehouse that acted as both storage for the criminal's drug supply as well as a barracks for most of the thugs.

Raphael had debated on how to proceed with Dorobou. The thief had suggested hitting the warehouse first, setting it on fire and burning their supply of drugs as well as catching a number of the thugs in the blaze. But Raphael had suggested going after the leader first. If he attacked the warehouse first, then it would raise the alarm and not only increase the security around the syndicate's leader, but also draw Suna Shinobi to the Red Light District, making it harder to get at the leader. It'd be better to hit him first, then the warehouse.

Which was why Raphael was now silently watching the converted gambling den from the shadows of an alley across the street from it. There was at least one badly disguised guard outside, and another two on the rooftop of the building, posing as repair workers. How many were inside, he didn't know, but it wouldn't be that much. The gambling den did its best business at night, so there wouldn't be as many people inside, hence less need for security on the lower level. The same couldn't be said for the upper level though.

Raphael slowly reached to his right bracer, slowly pulling a tiny lever back, and in doing so, priming one of the Assassin's stealthiest methods of long range death. He slowly raised his arm, took aim, and pressed the release on the device he had primed.

With the faintest sound of a coiled spring being released, the poison dart launcher released a small poison dart, which shot across the relatively empty street, and hit the disguised guard in the back of the neck. He jerked, reaching towards what had hit him, only to stop and shiver, before jerking. Raphael silently thanked Anko to the fast acting and potent poison she had shared with him, as it prevented a target from being able to make a noise of alarm before they lost control of their body. Within seconds, the man slumped over, dead. Raphael watched the two rooftop sentries, waiting till they were looking away, before crossing the street briskly. He soon entered an alley at the side of the building, before turning and climbing up the side as quietly and as stealthily as he could.

When he reached the top, he rested on a bit of jutting rock from the wall and quickly but stealthily glanced over the edge of the roof, finding both men's positions. One of them was near him with his back to him as he worked on 'patching' a hole in the roof. His cohort was farther away, facing in Raphael's direction, but looking down.

Raphael hid himself, planning on how to take both men out without raising an alarm. After a few moments of thinking, he sighed. "Fuck it," he whispered, drawing one of the small throwing knives he had in his left hand. Reading himself, he surged up, throwing the knife at the farther man while extending the hidden blade from his right bracer.

The knife hit home first, driving itself into the top of the skull of the man farthest from Raphael, and dropping him instantly. The closer thug barely had time to register what had happened before Raphael's hidden blade was driven through the back of his neck and out his throat, silencing him forever. Raphael held onto him so he didn't fall over, waiting for the man to stop his weak struggling. When he became still forever, Raphael quietly retracted his hidden blade, and pulled his throwing knife from the other corpse.

With the roof secure, Raphael quietly made his way to the small entrance and exit way, and poked his head in. Seeing nothing, he slowly began to make his down the short flight of stairs to a door. Stopping at it, he leaned slightly against it, shifting his hood so he could hear what was on the other side.

There was the soft murmur of voices, the rustling of paper, and the occasional sounds of feet moving on wood. Raphael slowly opened the door a crack, peeking in.

Due to the position of the door, and the way it opened, Raphael was able to get a good view of the room. He was able to see four men working at a table. Three were counting money, while the fourth was writing in a ledger. He could see a fifth man, large and burley, armed with a katana standing a guard. A few seconds later, a sixth guard walked into view, talking to the other guard for a few moments. On the far side of the men was a door, presumably leading either downstairs or to the office of his target.

Raphael slowly slid the door close, leaning back as he analyzed what he had seen. It would seem there were six people in total. Two guards, four unknowns, probably civilians. If Dorobou's information was correct, his target should be in an office on this floor at this moment. Hopefully he wouldn't have any guards with him.

Raphael slowly reached into one of his pouches, producing two small round objects with tabs sticking from them, as well as a scroll. Setting the round objects aside, he opened the scroll, and activated a seal on it, producing a crossbow. He slipped the crossbow onto a sling on his back, before picking up the two round objects again. Steadying himself, he opened the door enough, before pulling the tabs and rolling them into the room. Almost immediately, the two objects silently erupted into dark clouds of smoke, startling the six men inside. Before any of them could make a noise, Raphael rushed from the stairwell, lunging and driving one of the two guards against the wall, his hidden blade burying itself into the man's throat, his other hand reached up, grabbing the crossbow and with one quick motion, he aimed and fired at the other guard, the bolt ripping into the man's head and pinning his corpse to the wall behind him. Raphael quickly released the first dead guard and loaded another crossbow bolt, as the smoke clouds from his smoke bombs began to dissipate, revealing one of the four remaining men was unconscious from accidentally hitting a wall during the confusion, and the other three were still coughing. As they got their bearings, they found Raphael with his crossbow leveled at them.

"I suggest you do not yell or speak," he said coldly. "You two, I want you to gag each other now, and then tie your hands to your feet and around the legs of your table there," he commanded, indicating they should use the clothes of the dead guards for rope.

Fearfully, the two men quickly did as directed, while Raphael looked at the third one. "Now you. I have one single question for you. Is your boss in his office?" He asked quietly.

The just nodded fearfully, his eyes never leaving the crossbow pointed at him. Raphael smiled a bit. "Good. Do to yourself what the other two did," he said.

The man quickly complied, and Raphael nodded, slinging his crossbow back onto his back. He glanced up at the door he assumed led to the office, and slowly approached it. He withdrew his crossbow and took a deep breath, before knocking on the door. An irritated voice form the other side respond with an irritated "What?! What do you want?!"

Raphael opened the door, pointing his crossbow as he stepped into the room. "Akuto?" He asked calmly, seeing the man freeze at the sight of his weapon.

Akuto (scoundrel) was a large tubby man with greasy black hair and beard, who had been busy counting his money when Raphael knocked. Now the man sat frozen behind his desk. "W-Who are you?" He asked in terror.

Raphael smiled, his lower face being the only thing visible with his hood up. "I'm just a blade in the crowd," he said quietly, pulling the trigger.

Akuto jerked back, feebly grabbing at the crossbow bolt in his neck, as Raphael approached, slowly slinging his crossbow. He extended his hidden blade, as he began to speak softly. "Do not fear death, but welcome it. And may you find forgiveness for those whose lives you wronged or ruined," he whispered, as he drove the blade into Akuto's neck, finishing him once and for all. "Descansa en la Paz (Rest in Peace)."

Slowly Raphael drew his blade from the man's throat, along with the bolt. He quickly gathered the money on the desk and slid it into his storage scroll, before searching the office for important papers and files. He quickly found one the drawers filled with reports and orders Akuto had received from whoever it was he was working for. Raphael scanned the papers. "So, you're working for a company called Gato Industries?" He whispered, quickly sealing the papers away as well. After finishing his search, he quickly left the room, heading back to the roof. He still had one more objective before he was done.

Sarutobi mentally sighed, as he listened to the Yondaime Kazekage's further complaints of how the treaty with Konoha was strangling Suna. He had already pointed out that the treaty between the two villages had been made when Suna had defected from its previous alliance with Kumo and Iwa during the last war, and that was the reason for the somewhat harsh terms. He had been more than willing to renegotiate for far more amicable terms, but the Kazekage refused, wanting terms that benefitted his village more. Sarutobi just wished the man would stop being so arrogant, hiding inside a veiled palanquin as if he was a Daimyo or something.

'What I wouldn't give for a distraction,' the aged Hokage thought, wanting nothing more than to relax and smoke his pipe.

As if some deity was listening to the Hokage's wish, a distraction came in the form of a Suna ANBU interrupting them. "Kazekage-sama, a fire has erupted in a warehouse in the southern part of the village. Shinobi teams have already moved in to quell the blaze," the Suna ANBU said, head bowed.

The Kazekage let out a frustrated sigh as he got out of his palanquin. "Excuse me Hokage-san, but I need to deal with this," he said, sweeping out of the room. Sarutobi simply smiled as he got up.

"Take your time, Kazekage-san," he said, as he and his escorts quietly left the room.

In the southern part of Suna, a warehouse was wreathed in flames. While the building itself was incapable of catching fire, it had been filled with many things that could catch fire. Such as the crates and crates filled with drugs, or the beds, furniture, clothing, and people that had been in the barracks section of the warehouse. All of it had gone up in flames, flames that now licked hungrily outside the windows and doors of the building, seeking more fuel to sustain themselves. Civilian firefighters tried tossing sand on the flames to smother them, until they were joined by shinobi. A few of the shinobi with earth affinity ninjutsu began using their ninjutusu to further bury the flames, while others bravely tried to find any way in to save survivors. Eventually, it was considered a lost cause, and the shinobi worked to collapse the building. In Suna, fires were rare, but they were extremely dangerous due to the scarcity of water. If they couldn't smother the flames or find any survivors within the first few minutes of arriving on the scene, the shinobi had to destroy the building to smother the blaze, before it could spread.

Watching from an alley, Raphael grimly studied his handiwork. He felt a hand clasp his shoulder, as Dorobou stood next to him, calmly smoking a cigarette. "So Akuto is dead?" He asked quietly.

Raphael nodded. "He is. The drugs are gone, their thugs are in disarray if not dead, and they are leaderless. I have the files for you to give to the Kazekage, though I ask that you let me make copies. Whoever was behind this group may have plans for Konoha in the future, and I think Hokage-sama would like to look at these reports to."

Dorobou nodded. "Fair enough kid. Now let's talk about that information you wanted my guild to look out for."

Raphael grinned as he and Dorobou left. A thief's gratitude was a useful thing to have indeed.

And chapter! I figured this was an excellent place to stop.

I hope you all enjoyed this. I think I did a pretty good job here overall, other than how long it took me to write. Something I hope to improve upon in the future, but we'll see.

Okay, I had said here that I was going to do a time skip next chapter. Change of plans. Next chapter will be more Naruto centric, sorta take the spotlight form Raphael a bit. The chapter AFTER the next chapter will have a timeskip.

So until next time my faithful fans and readers. Till next time.

Also, big thanks again to my awesome beta's, Bill Alain and Kyuubi123. Thanks again you guys for your hard work in making this fanfic even better.

1. For those of you following the manga's current chapters, you know this isn't canon. But I had written my Rikudo Sennin origin before we learned the Rikudo Sennin's true origins. So there. ^.^

Please review!