Jounin Exam

After Naruto's brief talk with the Anbu chief about his scheduled jounin exam, he returned to his training regarding his new genjutsu style of fighting. So far, he seemed pleased to know that he could create katas that not only disoriented the enemy's senses but also land a considerable hit. Summoning more clones, he charged against them now by using offensive type genjutsu, which consisted of disorientation as well, however this time what Naruto wanted to do was to confuse the enemy of his attack position. Upon approaching the clone, Naruto used the Hekishuukai(False Surroundings Technique), causing the clone to suddenly turn his head towards the imaginary opponent that was charging on his left side, therefore distracting the clone so that the real Naruto could attack him while he had the momentum.

After getting rid of the clone, Naruto decided to head home since he heard from Hawk that his team wouldn't be having missions today, however he was supposed to present himself tomorrow at sunrise for probably his last mission as an Chunnin Anbu. After some dismissal papers courtesy of Anbu's bureaucracy, Naruto left Anbu HQ towards his house. On the way, he was thinking about how a good nice sleep would be and also wondering on how his jounin exam was going to be like. Naruto often spent time reading something about Anbu's jounin exams over the course of time and knew that such exam was not to be taken lightly. After all, the last one that underestimated it, ended up falling badly and would be dead had it wasn't only a test.

On the way, he shifted his eyesight to a most welcoming visage. There to the left, was a red-eyed beauty looking at the mirror while brushing her hair as well with a deep smile on her face. With that, Naruto felt waves of warmth through his heart, making him smile and thank kami for allowing them to stay together. At that moment, Naruto realized that although a good night sleep was necessary, a comfortable stay with Kurenai would be much better. Therefore, he changed his course towards Kurenai's house, intending to surprise her with his sudden presence.

-With Kurenai-

Looking at the mirror, Kurenai was smiling, however not without a reason. Currently she was thinking about the blonde of her dreams and how much she likes to stay pretty for him by taking good care of her lustrous hair and smashing looks. Kurenai would always squeal in delight when Naruto took his time to admire his view of her prone and sexy body, just like every woman would be towards her husband or boyfriend. Now taking her time, Kurenai was thinking of what Yuugao told her after she returned from her little vacation. Apparently, Naruto's team took care of an Iwa's S ranked missing-nin, by using high-level raiton ninjutsu as well as coordinated type ninjutsu from Naruto and this guy that happens to wear a Hawk mask. Knowing that her boyfriend was indeed being of good service to Konoha's well-fare, she couldn't help but feel even more proud of how he came along in his life.

Kurenai remembered Kakashi expressing his doubts regarding Naruto's abilities some time ago when they shared the position of jounin senseis. At the time, Kurenai although concerned for him as a genin, couldn't do much else other than sympathize with Kakashi. When Naruto managed to beat Kiba at the preliminary exams, even if his method was unorthodox to say the least, Kurenai acknowledged his presence. It didn't help that later she came to know that Orochimaru interfered with his chakra control making his fight even more difficult to win. She was amazed by her boyfriend's exponential growth, being a part of Anbu Special Forces while 'only' being a chunnin. Also she giggled on the memory of Naruto expressing his discontentment at her over the expression 'only a chunnin'. She admitted that such a phrase escaped from time to time, but little to Naruto's knowledge, she somehow enjoyed showing some humility to Naruto by saying that although he had skills, he was still due to apply for jounin.

Kurenai couldn't be happier; knowing that she could have such a relationship with her boyfriend and for her, Naruto was a whole package. Feared from his enemies but loyal to the ones precious to him and his village; serious attitude albeit sarcastically funny at times, constantly expressing such remarks which made her laugh; Powerful but humble regarding his abilities. However, what Kurenai feared was that her boyfriend didn't befriend much with people his own age, which at first it wouldn't be too much of a problem, however in the future while most of Naruto's new friends would be retired, he would be still in active duty, therefore leaving him with no one to talk to in order to share some histories. She figured that perhaps Shino and Shikamaru could relate with him, since like Naruto, both of them showed maturity way beyond their age as well and since Shino would be having training in raiton ninjutsu, this could be Naruto's chance at bonding with someone his age for a change.

Shikamaru for his part would relate best with Naruto, since he had also a slightly sarcastic humor when he's not mumbling words like 'troublesome' before having to do things. Keeping these thoughts to herself for the moment, she lifted from the chair she was seating and moved towards her bedroom, so she could get some sleep. However, upon looking at the mirror, she witnessed an Anbu standing there, apparently just admiring his view of her. If where just someone, she would be glad to cast a genjutsu on the man that would make him want to cut his balls off, after such a perverted act. However, she recognized that mask anywhere. Slowly approaching and opening her window, she turned to speak to the masked Anbu with a sweet smile on her face. "You know, I once had a dream like this." – Said Kurenai to which the masked Anbu nodded and inclined his body in a way as to ask if he could enter her apartment. After an affirmative nod from the red-eyed mistress, the Anbu entered the room and took off his mask.

Without even saying anything, Kurenai embraced Naruto now without the mask and engaged in a deep and passionate kiss to which Naruto returned without even thinking. After they broke apart for a little bit of air, Naruto smiled and turned to speak. "Tell me more about that dream of yours" – Said the blonde to which Kurenai blushed a little bit, but decided to enter the game. "Ah but if I told you, it wouldn't be nearly as good as showing it, now wouldn't it?" – Asked Kurenai, now adding her sexy voice which made Naruto's body tremble in anticipation. Inside, his body temperature was rising exponentially, therefore reducing his hormones control as a result. Kurenai was also slightly horny from the kiss and from the realizing one of her fantasies which consisted of her boyfriend in his Anbu attire appearing at her window and start pleasuring her.

"You know, Kure-chan; while I was outside, I couldn't help but admire your beauty." – Said Naruto as he used his arms to embrace Kurenai and with his hands, he slowly and smoothly massaged her skin, making Kurenai close her eyes and slightly moan, while feeling Naruto's somewhat soft hands caressing her skin. "I didn't know you're such a pervert, Naruto-kun, but then I guess it's hard for you to resist me, isn't it." – Said Kurenai, while inside she loved every minute of not only the touching, but also their sexy conversation. Naruto for his part found it hard to have an argument for what Kurenai said, since he knew that she was right. However, he didn't have to counter-argument her, since that wasn't their intention at all. Instead, he turned to compliment her with a little sarcasm. "Huh, understatement of the year" – Said Naruto, now slowly bending his head towards her neck and gently kissing it, making Kurenai release some air that she didn't know she was holding and instantly her brain started processing images of what will follow after this.

After a while, Kurenai used her hands up to his shoulders and released his upper body armor, before caressing his upper body in order to feel every bit of his well-toned muscles, travelling from his chest and then to his arms. "Your hands are so soft, Kure-chan." – Said Naruto before embracing her once again and such her neck now with a little bit more intensity, tempering with Kurenai's last bit of control over her body. Because she was getting ready to go to bed, her clothes were limited to her panties and a top shirt, so Naruto had little to no effort to take the shirt off and start licking her body while gently pushing her to the bed. Understanding her boyfriend's intentions, she didn't even bother to show some control over what happen, since this was what she loved most about her boyfriend in situations like this. She loved when her man took control of the situation and just pleasures her in more than enough ways to make her lose her mind in the process. Already on the bed, Naruto was gently caressing Kurenai's tits with his hands while using his tongue to lick her belly, sending waves after waves of pleasure to Kurenai. "Oh my…Naru-kun, you do know how to pleasure a woman. I still wonder where you see half the stuff you do to me" – Said Kurenai before moaning once again.

"Actually, I just think of ways of better pleasuring you. And hearing you moaning, just makes me want to pleasure you even more." – Said Naruto as his hands now were caressing her below region, making her body now tremble in anticipation for what was about to begin. "I…can see that. But….I don't know how much I can hold before I explode. You keep teasing me like this and I can't control myself." – Said Kurenai as she was now using her own hands to massage her body in an attempt to feel even more pleasure to which Naruto smiled and took off her panties, before making Kurenai literally explode from the inside out. Right now, Naruto was licking her inner walls, making Kurenai bite her lip from screaming his name out of pure pleasure.

After a while, Kurenai was already convulsing because of what Naruto was doing to her. "Please, Naru-kun. Stop teasing me and put it on, I can't take it anymore." – Mumbled Kurenai, now begging for more pleasure. Without a comment, Naruto took his pants off and attended to Kurenai's request by sticking it in deep and slowly. Because of this, Kurenai was now constantly moaning after each thrust from Naruto. She loved it all. She loved the feeling of his body on top of hers; she loved his turned on face looking at her with passion and above all she loved his presence there with her.

However, while Naruto was thrusting his manhood inside her, Kurenai's walls were starting to convulse, sending to Naruto the signal that she was about to have an orgasm to which Naruto became aware since the insertions rhythm increased. "Naru-kun, I'm….I'm….oh my god." – Screamed Kurenai in pure bliss while Naruto's manhood was still inside, increasing the orgasm feeling.

"I love you so much Kure-chan. That was amazing" – Said Naruto as he landed near her exhausted form. However he failed to miss Kurenai's devious smile on her face. Suddenly, Kurenai grabbed his cock firmly, making it thick yet again and began sucking it, this time giving him pleasure to which although surprised, he smiled and just relaxed while Kurenai did the work. "Now it's your turn to come Naru-kun." – Said Kurenai as he swallowed down to half of Naruto's cock and kept the rhythm. It was not long until Naruto started convulsing and warning his lover that he was coming as well. Because of this, Kurenai turned to use her hands, making Naruto unleash some fluid in the process.

After a while, Naruto and Kurenai laid naked on Kurenai's bed embracing each other and exchanging loving words with each other. "I was thinking about you before you came in" – Said Kurenai as she rested her head on top of Naruto's chest. "After I left HQ, I left to go home, but then I saw you brushing your hair and I couldn't resist not visiting. I'm glad I did by the way" – Said Naruto to which Kurenai smiled and nodded in return. "So, how was work today?" – Asked Kurenai, wishing that Naruto wouldn't throw the whole it's confidential crap that either Anko or Yuugao usually said to her. "Nothing major. Our team took care of a couple of missing-nins near Otafuku Gai and I went back to train. I'm proud to say that I'm creating a new taijutsu style with the aid of genjutsu." – Said Naruto before seeing Kurenai suddenly lift her head off his chest violently and started screaming. "You made it. I….how? Could you teach me? Please?"

"Easy Kure-chan. Of course I'll teach you. However it isn't finished yet. I was wondering, though, if you knew of any other disorientating genjutsu other than the Hekishuukai, so that I could use it as well. My style focus on disorienting the opponent in the middle of taijutsu attacks. With the Hekishuukai, the opponent suddenly doesn't know where to hit, then I move for the counter-strike before the opponent can disable the genjutsu." – Said Naruto to which Kurenai turned to think about it. "I know some, but I don't think they would be good for your style, since they require quite a number of seals to work. However, tomorrow I will be at the library with my team, I can look for one." – Said Kurenai earning a smile from Naruto.

"I'd appreciate it, Kure-chan. If you don't mind me asking but why are you going with your team to the library?" – Asked Naruto, more like thinking in terms of a academy excursion. "Very funny, Naru-kun. No, I'll be teaching them elemental ninjutsu. I gave them the test to see their elemental affinities. Kiba is doton (earth), Hinata is suiton (water) and Shino is raiton (lightning)." – Said Kurenai to which Naruto nodded. "Interesting combination. Shino and Hinata could use their elements for combine their attacks since water conducts electricity and Kiba could use his doton affinity to defend them while they attack." – Said Naruto now entering in Anbu captain mode even though he still isn't one.

"Yeah, although they don't even know how to use their element yet, that's what we're doing tomorrow. I was wondering if perhaps you could provide some help for Shino and Hinata with their elements." – Asked Kurenai, now reverting to her initial plan of Naruto bonding with Shino. "Do you really want me to? Couldn't Kakashi do this or something? It's been ages since I talked to any of them." – Said Naruto, not even seeing a glint of evilness licking out of Kurenai's smile. "Why not Naru-kun? I'm not saying for you to talk to them, I was just saying that you help them with their affinities. I'm a genjutsu type and I know a few katon jutsus just in case I have to use it. I'm not a ninjutsu specialist. You on the other hand, has knowledge in three elements. You would be perfect for them, well Hinata and Shino, since Kiba is a doton user." – Said Kurenai to which Naruto sighed since Kurenai was very adamant of him helping her team. "Ok, Ok. I'll do it. But what about Kiba? He will bark at you for not helping him." – Said Naruto to which Kurenai turned to look at her boyfriend's choice of word to describe Kiba's complains.

"Yes, I still have to find someone to help Kiba with doton ninjutsu. Don't you have someone to help him?" – Asked Kurenai to which Naruto just laughed about it. "Why are you laughing? I don't recall saying anything funny" – Said Kurenai to which Naruto turned to speak. "Oh is nothing. I have a doton user on my team. I was just imagining his face once I asked him to teach Kiba." – Said Naruto, making Kurenai flinch since she knew of certain Anbu members and their violent behavior. "How would he react?" – Asked Kurenai only to confirm her suspicions, before searching for another doton user. "Oh, no don't worry about him being violent, well not to a fellow Konoha nin anyway. It's just funny to see his face after I ask him to teach a chunnin" – Said Naruto, now laughing once again at the face displayed by Bear after hearing someone asking him to teach.

"I guess he's not the teaching type then?" – Asked Kurenai now a little relieved. "Yeah, although he's one of the best doton user in all of Konoha, he has a few problems against teaching others. Other Anbu members already asked him to teach them but he declines them without even thinking about it. The reason is because he learned doton on his own through hard work, so he believes in learning on your own." – Explained Naruto to which Kurenai sighed since she had to find for another doton user.

"Although, Kiba's history may be different. Bear hold a grudge against Konoha's big clans for not teaching other types of attacks other than those peculiar to the clans. Maybe if Kiba could convince him that he want to use doton, then maybe he could teach him." – Said Naruto to which Kurenai wondered for a bit. "I don't know if Kiba would like to use doton ninjutsu, I was just thinking in terms of teaching him other abilities, in case his clan techniques are useless."

"Well, I can tell him that Kiba wants to learn doton ninjutsu. How he'll use it, It's his problem." – Said Naruto to which Kurenai nodded in affirmative since Kiba was already a grownup and very tough together with Akamaru. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. My jounin exams is in two days." – Said Naruto, earning a smile from Kurenai. "Really? Congratulations Naruto. Would I be able to attend?" – Asked Kurenai, earning a nod from Naruto. "Of course. All jounins will be able to attend. Also the Hokage and its apprentices would attend as well. That means Shizune, Sakura and Ino as well." – Said Naruto to which Kurenai started looking at him at the mention of Sakura and Ino, but she shrugged it off since the way Naruto mentioned about them was the same way Anko mentioned someone that was sent to the hospital after trying to mess with her.

-Some place very far from Konoha-

Inside a cave, five figures were gathered to discuss certain issues concerning their next objective. Pein, the group's leader, after seeing their entire group reunited except for Sasori, Deidara, Hidan and Kakuzu since both were already killed, turned to speak. "We still need to capture the next two tailed demons. The eight-tailed and the Kyuubi are proving to be more of a hassle than I've originally thought. Zetsu, what can you tell us?" – Said Pein to which everyone turned to hear the venus plant man known as Zetsu. "The Kyuubi jinchuuriki disappeared out of a sudden. After he was able to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke from Orochimaru, everything about him in the village remains a deep undercover secret. Our spies can't find him." – Said Zetsu to which Itachi turned to speak.

"It's possible that Konoha exiled him. Their council never approved his career as a shinobi" – Said Itachi to Kisame chose to discuss. "The longer we wait to find the brat, it will be worse. Sasuke with the aid of the curse seal level two was A to S ranked level and Naruto was able to nearly cut him to pieces with his new fuuton ninjutsu." – Said Kisame, showing fear at the first time from the look of Pain towards him. "Yes, the Fuuton Rasenshuriken proved to be a nuisance to our plans. If I remember correctly, Kakuzu was defeated because of it and that was some time ago, the jinchuuriki could've become stronger by now." – Said Zetsu, finishing his report to Pain who was in deep thought about the next course of actions.

"Itachi and Kisame; I have a strong feeling that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is still inside of Konoha. The Godaime and the Toad Hermit could easily hide any files with them, therefore being impossible for our spies to know his whereabouts. You two are to go there for reconnaissance purpose. If you manage to locate him, try to gauge his abilities. I don't want any of you to engage him as of yet. If either the Godaime or Jiraya finds the two of you there, you won't stand a chance. Now go. The rest will pursue for the eight-tailed demon." – Said Pain, earning nods from everyone present and then everyone disappeared except for the leader who chose to stay and wonder a little about his situation.

'If Zetsu is correct and this Naruto character managed to kill Kakuzu, then we must not underestimate him. I've never seen a fuuton attack manage to pierce Kakuzu's defense, but still if he improved his abilities then I would have to step in. Kisame may not return if my guess is correct and Itachi is limited to the sharingan more than anything else. Maybe Itachi can lock the Kyuubi jinchuuriki with his mangenkyou sharingan's technique Tsukyomi.' – Thought Pein before also vanishing like the others.

--At the Hokage's office-

Tsunade was busy doing the boring paperwork when suddenly she caught a peculiar paper. It was an invitation by the Anbu to be present at Black Wolf's Jounin exam in two days. After reading it, Tsunade got up and looked at Konoha from her window. 'Naruto grew up a lot since he left to train with Jiraya. However, from what Jiraya told me about their training, he didn't mention Naruto having knowledge in different ninjutsu elements. Not only fuuton and suiton, but also raiton; I wonder how much he hid from us all this time. And now he's going to become a jounin at age 17. Nicely done, Naruto-kun; of course I'll attend.

While Tsunade was reading the invitation, Sakura and Shizune entered her room and from what Tsunade could see, Sakura was quite angry about something. Quite frankly, Tsunade wasn't so much in the mood of wanting to know what made her apprentice so mad about, but she knew that Sakura would voice it even if she didn't ask. "What happened that got you like this, Sakura?" – Asked Tsunade to which Shizune quietly thanked kami that Tsunade took Sakura's attention away from her. Shizune heard from the pink medic-nin that she saw Naruto on a date with Kurenai at the park and started bitching about the fact that Kurenai was twice his age and that it wasn't fair.

"Tsunade-sama, Sakura is like this because she saw Naruto-kun and Kurenai-san on a date at the park and started mumbling things about not being far or something like that. Frankly, I forgot about the rest." – Said Shizune to which Sakura kept staring at her with anger present in his eyes and Tsunade to sigh, thinking that a Hokage shouldn't have to meddle on stuff like this. Sakura for her part actually intended for someone to do something about this, so she started with Shizune so the black-haired woman would side with her on this. Now since Shizune wouldn't like to do anything with this, Sakura decided to take it to the Hokage. "Not to mention that Kurenai is twice his age, Tsunade-sama; this shouldn't be legal. Why can't she date one close to her age." – Said Sakura to which Tsunade sighed once again and tried to level with the pink haired kunoichi.

"Sakura, what Naruto does with his personal life is his business. If I recall, since he brought back the Uchiha, you didn't even want to hear about where he has been? Why the sudden interest, I ask?" – Asked Tsunade to which Sakura looked at the Hokage, while trying to make up an excuse for bringing up this issue. "Sasuke-kun needed me to stay with him. That's why I didn't worry about him, but now that I saw him with Kurenai-san. I…I'm just concerned about him." – Said Sakura, but failed miserably when she staggered, therefore proving to Tsunade and Shizune that Sakura's intention wasn't entirely pure. "Sakura, Naruto already dated Kurenai before on his trip with Jiraya. Sasuke if I recall, much to my surprise, dismissed you with respect and now you want to take Naruto away from Kurenai so that you can be with him. I saw them as well and I say Kurenai and Naruto are the perfect match. Me, Jiraya, Shizune and I bet that everyone is okay with them being together." – Said Tsunade to which Sakura was taken aback since she didn't know her sensei would see right through her, so she did the only thing she could at the moment. She lowered her head and left.

With Sakura leaving, Shizune and Tsunade stayed looking at each other. Both of them knew that knew that Sakura was developing a bit of a possessive personality towards others. "Tsunade-sama, I'm worried about Sakura. Lately, she's been rather possessive lately. I'm worried that being the Hokage's apprentice went a little over her head." – Said Shizune, making Tsunade wonder if her old apprentice was right. "Yeah, I guess you're right. During the time we trained her, she seemed to be bossing around, using her position as my apprentice. I should've figured that giving her this position would be way over what she could deal with, especially since Sasuke was brought back by Naruto. Sakura is just a chunnin and goes around bossing jounin and even some Anbus, thinking that she has my authority to do such a thing." – Said Tsunade while still in deep thinking.

"Maybe, it would be best a little lesson of humility for her is in order." – Said Shizune to which Tsunade looked at Shizune in wonder. "Go on, what do you have in mind?" – Asked Tsunade, showing interest towards the idea. "Lately our medic-nins has been doing missions at villages near Konoha and both of us know that Sakura was due to take this kind of missions some day. Maybe if she sees how it is to treat an entire city than she could create some senses." – Said Shizune before seeing the devious look from Tsunade, who by this time was searching for a mission request from a village 10 miles from Konoha requesting the assistance of a medic-nin in order since their medic was sick and couldn't attend the village's population. "That's a great idea Shizune, I'll be sure to send Sakura to attend. This mission is a B ranked and will be a two month long mission.

-the next day-

When Naruto woke up, he turned to see a peaceful Kurenai sleeping close to him. Naruto wondered about the time that passed since he returned with Jiraya and how much stronger he became after joining the Anbu. Of course Naruto wasn't what most would think, arrogant about his abilities to think that no one could beat him. He knew that even though was much stronger than before, he wasn't sure if he could last against Akatsuki or Orochimaru. He knew that Kakuzu was only beaten because he had Kakashi, Yamato and the rest of team 10 to back him up, but next time he met even Itachi or his partner Kisame, Naruto knew for certain that he would lose.

Still worried about the organization eventually coming for him, Naruto got up and put on his Anbu armor since he had only 20 minutes to arrive at Anbu HQ. Before putting his mask, he looked once again at Kurenai and smiled seeing that his girlfriend wasn't such a morning person. So, before he left, he went closer to Kurenai and gave her a soft kiss on her lips, while whispering sweet words close to her ear, making Kurenai smile and embrace her body, showing Naruto that she was having a dream. I hope that I'm in it. However unbeknown to his knowledge, he was being watched.

Yuugao was passing by Kurenai's apartment on her way to the Anbu HQ and when she saw Naruto there approaching a sleeping Kurenai, she felt even more jealous of Kurenai, but whether it was because it was Naruto who was showing the red-eyed kunoichi affection or the fact that she wanted someone to do that to her, she couldn't know. Suddenly, when Naruto kissed Kurenai softly, Yuugao's heart began to crush her deeply and somehow wanted for that kiss to be for her. She then knew it, she was jealous of Kurenai because of Naruto and for as much as she would like to deny it, she couldn't.

Naruto for his part, while oblivious to the fact that Yuugao was watching him, left the apartment and summoned Ace in order for them to go to Anbu HQ. Upon appearance, the wolf greeted Naruto, now with his black mask and went towards their destination. "So, Black Wolf, any reason as to why you didn't come home last night?" – Asked Ace, while jumping through rooftops. "I never figured you'd the one asking rhetorical questions, Ace. You know sometimes I sleep in Kurenai's house." – Said Naruto without even bothering to look at his friend, making the wolf snicker at the remark. "Ah, yes your mate. Sorry I forgot about her." – Said Ace to which Naruto lifted an eyebrow at Ace's word for Kurenai.

"Mate? Oh yes, I forgot. That's how animals address, right. No, I don't consider her a mate. She's my girlfriend." – Said Naruto to which Ace smiled, since he got Naruto cornered. "Just a girlfriend, huh?" – Asked Ace, making Naruto look at him and sigh, since he knew teasing when he heard one and he came to know that the scarred wolf actually enjoyed teasing him quite often. "Yeah, well in the future, maybe even my wife. Ok, so you like to tease, so tell me what about the time I caught you sniffing around the Inuzuka compound searching one of Inuzuka Hana's huskies. Care to enlighten me a little bit?" – Asked Naruto to which Ace became red. "That…'s none of your business." – Scowled Ace, turning his head a little, not giving Naruto any response to which Naruto smiled deviously. "Remember this, Ace. You don't tease a born prankster and expect to walk away." – Said Naruto, before seeing that they arrived at HQ.

Suddenly, Cat arrived as well right before him and both Ace and Black Wolf looked at her in suspicion. "Black wolf, I believe that the kitten followed us" – Said Ace, receiving a snarl from the Anbu kunoichi to which Naruto was even more suspicious that something happened and that his second in command was nervous about. "Black Wolf, you control your mutt there, before I do. Now, let's head inside." – Said Cat, actually expecting a reply from Black wolf or Ace but never came. Actually, Naruto never actually showed that kind of respect to anyone except the Hokage and the Anbu chief, but seeing Naruto and his wolf calmly walk inside along with her, showed that even though he was loyal, he would never bow to anyone.

Once inside, Yuugao chose to walk behind Black Wolf and Ace, which made Naruto on edge but shrugged it off since he wasn't in the mood of questioning her from her act. Yuugao for her part did this with the intent of checking Naruto out from head to toe. Nicely done, Kure-chan. Great ass, well-toned abs. A whole package, huh.' – Thought Yuugao as she saw Naruto walking, however she couldn't do so much to Naruto without his partner knowing about it. Ace could sniff Yuugao's pheromones rising and knew she was looking at his partner. He wondered about how humans tend to behave when they wanted what they couldn't have and how pathetic this was. Upon looking at Naruto's black mask, he sighed since because of the mask, he couldn't read Naruto's feelings or his expressions.

However, Naruto's perception has improved the last couple of months and now he could catch glimpses of movement from behind him with the corner of his eyes and although he couldn't sense Yuugao's hormones, he was wondering why she was looking at him so intently like that. After a while, they reached Hawk and Bear waiting for them to arrive. Since his team arrived in time, Hawk turned to address their mission. "Good morning team, now I received news for Hokage-sama that some chunnin would be taking a day off, because of some B ranked missions across Earth Country. Therefore, she requested us to do an advanced guard duty all around Konoha. Since we're Anbus, we're going to do the following. We'll divide in groups of twos. Black Wolf and Cat, you will take the south part, being that involving the southeast and southwest regions of the village while me and Bear will take the northeast and northwest regions. That way, we'll be ready in case someone happens to threat Konoha. Our mission will initiate in a hour. Go to your stations and good luck." – Said Hawk before shunshining away as well as everyone.

-Kurenai's apartment-

Two hours after Naruto left his apartment, Kurenai woke up. When she turned, she knew that Naruto wouldn't be there anymore. She knew how tight-scheduled Anbu was and also knew that punctuality was a must between them. After she turned and saw a note near her lamp, she already knew that it was from Naruto's.

Kure-chan, sorry I couldn't stay with you for breakfast. I had to leave to HQ. However, I couldn't leave without giving you a kiss on the lips. Let me say that you look very beautiful when sleeping peacefully like you do. Can't wait for next time we'll see each other.

Love, Naruto.

After reading the note, Kurenai smiled, remembering about a specific part in her dream when Naruto softly kissed her on the lips. Still smiling, she went to the bathroom for a little shower without even knowing another set of eyes watching her smile. Sakura was furious at the genjutsu mistress for stealing Naruto from her and behaving like she always did, she thought that people were supposed to obey her orders without questions.

Therefore, she went to Kurenai's door and knocked once. After about five minutes, she knocked once again, now fuming that Kurenai was making her wait. On her third time, the door almost broke and Kurenai opened, about to cause someone a great deal of pain for lack of patience, but when she saw the Hokage's apprentice with her arms crossed, she knew that the teenager was behaving once again like she was expecting Kurenai to bow for her, therefore pissing her off already. However, Kurenai was polite and turned to ask nicely. "Sakura-san, what can I do for you?" – Asked Kurenai, though with a serious tone which indicated that someone just ruined her happy day. "Can I enter, Kurenai-san, I wish to speak with you." – Said Sakura and entered the apartment, without even waiting for an authorization, pissing the genjutsu mistress up to a point where she would like to call for Anko to teach this girl a lesson.

"Kurenai-san, it came to my attention that you're dating a teammate of mine, isn't it right?" – Asked Sakura, not even waiting for a response, but was slightly taken aback when Kurenai didn't even bother to answer, instead just stand there studying Sakura's intentions. "Which teammate are you talking about Sakura-san. You're a chunnin now not a genin." – Asked Kurenai, already aware of what Sakura was intending to do. "I'd refrain to such a tone with me Kurenai-san, I happen to be the Hokage's apprentice. You'd do well not to use it with me." – Said Sakura, making Kurenai raise her eyebrow, while trying not to laugh at this chunnin's attempt of outranking her. "Oh, so you think you outrank a jounin, then." – Said Kurenai, not even wanting to lift a finger in order to teach Sakura a lesson, making Sakura flinch since her only weapon was rendered useless against the red-eyed kunoichi.

"Naruto is half your age. Why don't we look for someone your age?" – Shouted Sakura, now on the verge of despair to which Kurenai at first wanted to take pity on the girl to whom she knew got dumped by the Uchiha, however she knew better than doing that, since the girl needed a lesson and needed fast. "What Naruto and I do is our problem. I don't understand your problem, girl. First you scowl him for bringing your little boyfriend back, which by the way I was very happy that Naruto caused him a great deal of pain before doing so and now that the Uchiha dumped you, you actually think that he would gladly be with you, now that you are available." – Said Kurenai, without even waiting for Sakura to respond before continuing with the assault.

"You keep telling that you're his teammate, however you know little to nothing about Naruto. And now you come here almost breaking my door, trying to use your position as Hokage's apprentice so to outrank me. And worst of all, you think that you have the right to meddle with mine and Naruto's personal lives." – Said Kurenai, though still serious, not even displaying any hint of emotions, showing to Sakura how outclassed she was against the red-eyed kunoichi.

Sakura for her part, while listening to the onslaught, wanted nothing more than finding a place to hide or someone to protect her against Kurenai. She never saw anyone not fazed by her position as the Hokage's apprentice and to see that Kurenai, a jounin, literally diminish her like a regular chunnin, made her wonder if perhaps every jounin she ever bossed around, simply chose not to deal with her. After concluding that Sakura behaved like a total bitch, she started looking down right in front of Kurenai who after seeing this, still held her ground with the whole sympathy issue. And without even a whisper, Sakura just walked away from the jounin and closed her door, leaving Kurenai alone in her apartment. "Man, wait until I tell Anko what happened. She'll flip." – Said Kurenai, still smiling since her day turned out to be even better. First for her love making with Naruto, then his note and then teaching a little lesson to the Hokage's precious apprentice. Yep, Anko should hear this. Kurenai, then, went out towards the library where she would meet her team for knowledge in elemental ninjutsu.

-With Naruto and Yuugao-

Right now, Black Wolf, Ace and Yuugao was shifting between guarding the southeast and southwest regions of Konoha and Naruto was even more suspicious of the fact that Yuugao continued to look at him in a very strange way. Of course, it didn't help that he could hear Ace laughing at his predicament right now. After being around Naruto for as long as he did, the wolf started having similarities toward Naruto up to a point that a little prankster side of him was already visible. Ace for his part was trying hard not to laugh about Naruto's situation. It seemed that the Cat masked Anbu was looking at Naruto with second intentions and the fact that Ace knew that the woman has a relationship, didn't help control his amusement not even a little bit.

It was already mid afternoon and yet no sign of trouble of any kind. Black Wolf and Cat were currently taking a break from constantly searching throughout the south region. Well more like Cat was taking a break and Black wolf standing there, because of his massive reserves. Yuugao continued to look at Naruto for a while. She knew why he wasn't tired but that wasn't the reason why she was looking at him, well other than admiring his looks. She was looking at him while wondering if she could have someone like him one day. As Naruto posed there with his arms crossed, Yuugao admitted she was becoming attracted to him and that was a very bad signal for her for two reasons; one because of her friendship with Kurenai and Naruto being her boyfriend and second being Yuugao's boyfriend Hayate, even though she barely saw him this couple of days.

However, oblivious to the Anbu pair, Hayate was inside of a bar nearby nearly drunk from so much sake. Hayate, ever since his friend Genma gave him the whole speech about enjoying life since it could be their last day, made up his mind to let go of his girlfriend Yuugao and go party with his Genma and some other of his peers from their year. Right now, Hayate was enjoying himself drinking and flerting with all the women present in the room.

Back to Naruto and Yuugao, Ace was sniffing when he sensed an strange amount of alcohol being consumed close by. "Black Wolf, it seems that there are a few drunks causing quite a fuss at that bar. Do you think some damage control is in order?" – Asked Ace to which Naruto looked at the bar and noticed a familiar person on the horizon shoving sake down his throat and annoying some of the ladies present. "I don't know, we're guarding the borders; not inside the village." – Said Black Wolf.

"If this gets out of control, we'll need to step in. We're Anbu, therefore protecting the village and the hokage is our prime objective." – Said Yuugao to which Naruto nodded, but suddenly remembered the guy's name. 'Shit. That's Hayate, Yuugao's girlfriend. No wonder she was having second thoughts about him, I must take her away from here.' – Thought Naruto as he turned to address his second in command.

"Cat-sempai, we need to scout the perimeter. We left it quite a while unprotected." – Said Naruto to which Yuugao nodded and got up. However, when she was about to jump, she noticed what Naruto was afraid for. There he was her boyfriend already drunk and kissing some girl clearly against the girl's compliance. After she saw, a single tear fell on the ground. Yuugao was already in emotional turmoil from having thoughts about Naruto, but now she squeezed the area where her heart was located and turned around so that Naruto would not see this, however to no avail. The black masked Anbu did see the tears and sighed seeing that his plan backfired. He wasn't counting on her turning once before jumping, therefore she saw her boyfriend making out with another girl right in front of her.

Suddenly, Yuugao jumped towards their next rooftop fiercely and Naruto had no other alternative and followed suit, knowing that she wouldn't be able to swallow this for long. True to his suspicions, Yuugao landed on the rooftop and stopped there, wanting for Naruto to stop. After he did, Yuugao simply took off her mask and looked at him. Naruto for his part was wondering what he could do to lessen the situation without endangering his own, since he was consoling his girlfriend's best friend and also the one that kept staring at him all day and now is looking at him with sad eyes. "Naruto, why? Why would he do this to me?" – Asked Yuugao now on the verge of tears, not even being able to control her emotions as per what was her position as second in command of an Anbu team. However Naruto gave no response, since he knew that she was just trying to let it out.

"Ace, could you do me a favor and go look for Kurenai-chan, she is at the library?" – Asked Naruto to which Ace complied and vanished, while Yuugao looked at him, while trying to understand why he wanted Kurenai here. Naruto for his part knew Yuugao would ask him, so he beat her with the answer. "I called her since she will better able to help you. We have a mission to be doing, so I'll cover for you." - Said Naruto before hearing Ace arriving with Kurenai next to him. "Nar…I mean Black wolf what did you call me for? Ace told me that Cat was hurt, but…" – Said Kurenai but stopped when she saw the sad look of her best friend, which told her that something must have happened and wasn't in any way related to whatever mission. Naruto for his part whispered close to Kurenai's ear, since he didn't want to say it out loud. "Kure-chan, Yuugao saw Hayate kissing another girl and then she began to cry. Could you take her to your apartment or something?" – Whispered Naruto to which Kurenai nodded and went over to Yuugao who was still crying.

When Kurenai looked back to Naruto, while nodding in appreciation for the way he handed this situation, she was then confused as to why there was two black wolfs. However when one of them henged into Yuugao in her Anbu uniform, she knew what Naruto was doing and waste no more time. "I understand Black wolf, I'll take care of her. And you take care as well." – Said Kurenai before seeing Naruto, Yuugao (Naruto clone in henge) and Ace vanishing. 'Still I wonder why Naruto called me instead of trying to comfort her himself. Could it be? When I told the story of me and Naruto together, Yuugao was acting strange, could it be that she may be infatuated with my boyfriend? In that case, summoning me was in fact the best course of action. Wow, you're good. However, it seems that I have to summon Anko as well for an intervention. I have to end my team's training for the day, though.' – Thought Kurenai before vanishing with Yuugao.

-With Naruto-

While Naruto was jumping around as to scout the area for anything unusual, he was thanking Kami for having the idea to summon Kurenai to help Yuugao. If Kurenai was to be away on a mission, he would be afraid that something would happen and endanger his relation with Kurenai. However, when Naruto looked to the west, he literally panicked. Right there on the horizon, two fellows with black robes and red clouds were approaching the southwest gate. "Ace, come here. This is an emergency. Call for Hawk and Bear to come meet me at the southwest gate immediately. Tell them Akatsuki is here. I'll send a clone to alert the Hokage. "Damn it, okay, I'll go. Stay put and hide; we can't take them out alone" – Said Ace before vanishing.

Naruto for his part complied and turned to hide on top of the building he was on top of. Itachi and Kisame entered the gate supposedly undetected and started searching for Naruto's presence nearby. After a while, Naruto lifted his head cautiously only to see that Itachi and Kisame walking on a path below him, while looking for him. Since Naruto learned how to hide his chakra presence, he was a little safe, but he knew that Itachi was an ex-Anbu captain before he left, therefore he could've know that someone was hiding his presence. However, true to Naruto's luck, Itachi didn't seem to sense his presence.

After a while, Ace arrived with Hawk and Bear and the look of their eyes showed that they were dead serious about their current threat. Hawk was a junior Anbu when Itachi was an Anbu captain and even though Bear was a jounin at the time, he knew how strong Itachi was. Also one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist was there as well, which could complicate things.

-At the Hokage's office-

Tsunade was doing some paperwork when Naruto's clone popped inside. "Tsunade-sama, we have an emergency. Uchiha Itachi and Kisame just entered the village, looking for me. The real me has already summoned his Anbu team. Requesting more backup" – Said the clone to which Tsunade got serious all of a sudden and shouted to summon Kakashi and another team of Anbu to meet them. "Good job, Naruto. Wait until backup arrives and then we'll attack them. They won't be leaving this area." – Shouted Tsunade.

-Back with Naruto-

After the clone dispelled, the real Naruto got the information and passed to his peers who nodded as well. Naruto was now a little bit relaxed knowing that backup would be arriving soon, however he still hold his stance since S ranked criminals were not to be taken lightly. Even though two teams of Anbu, Kakashi and Tsunade were there, they could still win and capture him. Itachi and Kisame were already aware that they would be surrounded soon and yet there was no sign of Naruto's presence at all. Little to both Akatsuki members, however, they were searching for a chakra half normal half demonic, which until Naruto managed to separate his flows of chakra, was how his chakra was described. Suddenly, a wide fog of smoke appeared and nine figures appeared around the two missing-nins, entrapping them.

"Uchiha Itachi and Hoshikage Kisame, you're not welcomed here in Konoha and because of the crimes both of you committed, your sentence is death." – Said Tsunade, being one of the closest to the duo, forcing the two to fall into a battle stance, while mentally cursing themselves from underestimating Konoha's defenses since last time. "Itachi, how did they know we're here?" – Asked Kisame to which Itachi responded while focused at Kakashi who seemed to be strongest of the bunch after the Hokage. "I don't know, Kisame. However, one of the Anbus must have seen us arriving. I wonder who did though, I was not aware of any Anbu being this good besides Hatake." – Said Itachi to which Naruto smiled upon hearing such praise, but he would kill himself before he voiced his satisfaction.

"Kisame, we'll divide. I'll take Kakashi and some of the Anbus here. You take the Hokage. These two are the toughest opponent here." – Said Itachi to which Kisame smiled, immediately charging against the Hokage who defended and aimed a kick at Kisame's side but to no avail since Kisame jumped and evaded the attack. Tsunade for her part acted quickly like a commander and ushered orders. "I want two Anbus here with me, Black wolf and Hawk; the rest aid Kakashi against Itachi, go." – Shouted the Hokage before seeing the Anbu quickly maneuvering.

After that, Tsunade, Black Wolf, Ace and Hawk were standing there facing Kisame. "Black wolf, we need to take him away from the village, would you be so kind?" – Asked Tsunade still focus on Kisame while Naruto went with the hand seals for Fuuton Chakra Daitoppa (Wind Style: Enhanced Breakthrough Jutsu). Instantly, a huge gust of wind charged against Kisame who had no other alternative other than to place Samehada in front of him, but to no avail. Because of the wind's force, the giant shark was sent travelling away from the village with Tsunade and everyone tailing behind him. Tsunade for her part, even though she knew of what Naruto could do, was amazed at the force of the wind. "Hawk, could you explain this to me?" – Asked Tsunade while trailing up to where Kisame would land. "Tsunade-sama, Black wolf has a natural affinity for wind, therefore his jutsu was an improved version of the normal Daitoppa, hence what you saw right now.

After a while, Kisame landed and got right up as if he was not even fazed by the attack. "Quite strong that little breeze, wasn't it?" – Said Kisame as he began to stretch a little bit for the battle. "Tsunade-sama, be aware of his sword, it eats our chakra. We need to attack him with caution" – Said Black Wolf, to which Tsunade nodded, still amazed since this was the first time she actually fought together with Naruto and quite frankly it was scaring her a little bit. Kisame however, became wary of the black masked Anbu that happen to know his sword's secret. "Oi, how the hell do you know that Samehada eats chakra. Have we met before?" – Asked Kisame to which Tsunade flinched a little bit, however they were once again lucky that Kisame didn't notice Tsunade's momentary give away. Naruto however had to answer the question. "No, this is the first time we met, however as an Anbu, I'm required to know everything Konoha's enemies and your file is the most interesting one." – Said Naruto before seeing Kisame smile at such praise.

"How thoughtful of you guys; well since you all know a lot about me, why don't attack and test what you've learned?" – Asked Kisame, already making hand seals for the Suiton Suryuudan no Jutsu(Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu). Instantly, a huge water dragon attacked the Konoha trio who by this time jumped through different sides. However far from Kisame's view, Hawk made some hand seals. "Katon Housenka no Jutsu (Fire Style: Mythical Fire Phoenix Jutsu) and instantly five small fireballs charged against Kisame who after seeing the incoming attack, grinned because of such a weak attack.

However, Kisame was taken aback when black wolf appeared behind the incoming fireballs, flipping through hand seals of his own, saying Fuuton Eatama no Jutsu (Wind Style: Air bullet jutsu). When Naruto's air bullets mixed with Hawk's, his fire ones nearly doubled in size and speed, making Kisame curse them and try to avoid the incoming projectiles which now resembled a low level grand fireball. Even though Kisame was big, he had some skills with agility, therefore he was able to doge four ofh the incoming fireballs, however one of them hit him on his right leg, burning it. Not even waiting to attack, Hawk and Black wolf threw a barrage of shurikens at Kisame who used his sword to stop them all.

Tsunade, however, could do nothing but watch at Hawk and Black Wolf's well coordinated attacks until Ace appeared. "They are good, aren't they? Those two have been practicing together for some time now and their combined attacks proved to be fearful. Together they burned that Iwa S classed missing-nin and even though this guy is a little bit stronger, I know that he won't last against these two." – Said Ace to which Tsunade smiled after hearing Ace's words. "You seem quite fond of him, don't you?" – Asked Tsunade, while seeing Hawk and Black wolf dodging a suiton attack from Kisame who by now was becoming furious since he couldn't land a hit at the two with his sword. "Black wolf and I shared similar pasts; therefore it's only logical that we manage to bond. Just like him, I was treated poorly by my clan and eventually they expelled me from their order. After a while, I kept training up to exhaustion, therefore learning some fuuton jutsus from my clan. When I was wondering around this forest, I sensed Black Wolf's strength and I looked directly through his eyes. I can tell that even though he could be even stronger, there is something no one, no matter how tough the enemy may be, will defeat Naruto's will to protect those he cares for." – Said Ace.

"Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get to know the real him, though. He can be very secretive at times." – Said Tsunade, before seeing Naruto make some hand seals and attack Kisame with Raiton Kusari Raikou (Lightning Style: Lightning Chain Jutsu). Suddenly, a cloud was formed on top of them and started firing lightning bolts after Kisame who barely managed to dodge. Then out of nowhere, Hawk appeared behind Kisame and bind him with the Kanashibari no Jutsu, paralyzing Kisame. Seeing his opportunity, Naruto made more hand seals, this time for his final attack. "Raiton Denkou Houkou (Lightning Style: Lightning Roar Jutsu).

Because of Hawk's binding technique, Kisame could only watch the sudden appearance of a lightning lion roaring towards him and shocked the shark man to his very core. As a result of the attack, Kisame was screaming as thousands of bolts came crashing down upon him, almost killing the shark man, had Samehada didn't absorb part of the jutsu, before shattering as a result. After Naruto's jutsu, Kisame was struggling to stand still and upon seeing his sword broken, he realized that his defeat was upon him. After all, Kisame was a swordsman; therefore he lived by the sword. When he lost his sword, he lost his battle. Hawk, seeing the opportunity to take one of the Akatsuki, took off his ninjato and aimed to pierce the blue man's heart, however Tsunade stopped him. "Hawk, that's enough. This man already admitted defeat. Even though he is a missing-nin, once a samurai's sword is useless, he or she loses the battle, isn't it right Kisame" – Said Tsunade as she approached the beaten shinobi, who not only lost his sword, but his chakra was extremely depleted by now. "I'm afraid so. However seeing that you value our honor, I have a humble request from the black masked Anbu." – Said Kisame to which Naruto nodded his head for Kisame to tell him.

"I admit my defeat to you brat. You sure are a tough one. However, you need to finish my life with your sword since you were the one who defeated me." – Said Kisame and then looked at Naruto. "….Very well; I shall grant your wish Hoshikage Kisame. And I want to say that apart from the crimes you committed, from the people you killed, yet you managed to die with honor, I happen to respect that." – Said Naruto before yielding his ninjato and move for the swift kill. Kisame for his part acknowledged Naruto's words and smiled, since he did die with honor after all.

After Naruto's thrust at Kisame's heart, Naruto left his sword there as a sign of respect for fellow kenjutsu users out there to know that Kisame was killed by a sword, earning nods of admiration from Tsunade and Hawk who stood beside him as he looked at the body of Kisame. 'Just like Zabuza, you Kisame died with honor. May kami take care of your soul' – Prayed Naruto before hearing signs of battle coming towards them, instantly making Naruto remember that Itachi was still alive and happens to be the biggest threat. Suddenly, Kakashi with a broken arm appeared along with the rest of the Anbu members and Itachi as well, but he landed on top of a tree. As he looked, he spotted Kisame there on the ground. Shit, they got Kisame. I'm more outmatched now than before. I have to flee and I still can't find Naruto anywhere. "I see you managed to take Kisame. Seeing that I'm outmatched, I can't stay here any longer." – Said Itachi before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

"Anbu, scour the village. See if there's any presence of Itachi searching around. Hawk, Bear and Black Wolf stay with me, I need to speak with you. Where's Cat?" – Asked Tsunade to which Black Wolf turned to answer. "Excuse me Tsunade-sama. Me and Cat were guarding the south regions of Konoha when a sudden pain reached her stomach for training too much. I sent word for Kurenai to take care of her. They are at her apartment right now" – Said Naruto to which the rest of them doesn't seem to bought the excuse but shrugged it off seeing that they just beat a S ranked missing nin and a little information was in order. "Okay. She will be briefed later then. Hawk and Bear, the reason why I hold you guys here is for you to know the reason of Itachi and Kisame's presence here in Konoha." – Said Tsunade to which Naruto and Kakashi looked at her with surprise which didn't go unnoticed by Hawk and Bear.

"What is it, Tsunade-sama?" – Asked Hawk since he was the captain. "Well, as you know both of them belong to an organization called Akatsuki and their objective is to hunt all the bijuus for what purpose, we still not sure about. The reason why they are in Konoha is because they are after the Kyuubi jinchuuriki." – Said Tsunade only waiting so that they could digest the information before continuing. "The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is well-known only to you both and Cat." – Said Tsunade, making Hawk and Bear almost break their necks from looking at Black Wolf. "You're the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, Black Wolf? That's not possible." – Said Hawk as he now knew that his new friend housed the Kyuubi inside of him.

Since he was away on a mission at the time, he didn't see the monster, but he was well aware of what he did at Konoha. However Hawk didn't think the same way as those that mistreated the boy. "Wait a minute. You're that boy that I saved thirteen years ago, aren't you, Black Wolf?" – Asked Hawk to which Naruto took off his mask and smiled at Hawk for acknowledging his presence as a proud member of Anbu instead of demon. "Yes, I was Hawk-taichou and I never got to appreciate you for saving me that day." – Said Naruto, smiling towards his captain.

However Bear's history was quite different. Having lost his family because of the Kyuubi, he was visibly fuming because of the news. Bear for his part didn't actually attack Naruto but he never appreciated that the boy wasn't killed at that time. Now seeing his partner in crime, his buddy in Anbu, the only one worthy of his admiration was the whole reason that his family was killed. Naruto, however, sensed a bit of raise in chakra coming from Bear and knew that the man would eventually attack him because of it. True to Naruto's wonderings, Bear suddenly channeled chakra through his fists and turned to attack Naruto, quite to the surprise of all present except Naruto who just closed his eyes waiting for the blow which hit him full force and it would've broken his jaw had the Kyuubi didn't fixed right away.

"Bear, what's the meaning of this? He is our teammate." – Shouted Hawk, trying to level with the big guy. "HE IS THE REASON WHY MY FAMILY WAS KILLED THAT DAY. HE IS THE REASON WHY I GREW UP ALONE AND NOW I'M AVENGING MY FAMILY ONCE AND FOR ALL"– Screamed Bear, not even able to control himself anymore. Naruto for his part was once again saddened by this, but not surprised. "Hawk-taichou please leave him be. Bear, if you truly believe that I'm the one who murdered your parents, then by all means, avenge them, I won't even try to defend myself." – Said Naruto before seeing everyone lower their heads after seeing what Naruto intended to do. "Kakashi-sempai, we've got to stop this, Bear will kill him." – Said Hawk to Kakashi who was now being attended by Tsunade.

"I'm afraid the only one that can stop him is Naruto." – Said Kakashi to which hawk was taken aback and voiced his question. "Before Naruto was enlisted as an Anbu, he said to me that the Kyuubi's burden is his and his alone to carry. Even though he is not the beast itself, he is aware of all the destruction that the beast caused to Konoha and is prepared for situations such as these." – Said Kakashi to which Hawk turned to look at Naruto now being beaten by Bear repeatedly.

"I wasn't kidding when I said that Naruto and I shared similar pasts. Even though he has some precious people, Naruto carries his burden alone with no one to help him. Just like me, Naruto is a lone wolf just like me." – Said Ace. Tsunade and Kakashi, after hearing Ace's story, now understood why Naruto chose his black wolf mask and upon hearing what Ace told them, their respect for Naruto rose even more. "Minato-sensei did thrust Konoha's safety to him after all and it's just like Naruto said. Only he could carry such a burden." – Said Kakashi and then smiled at the how much Naruto grew without him even knowing. "Jiraya once told me that Sarutobi-sensei praised Naruto from inheriting the will of fire. I see that now" – Said Tsunade.

Back to Naruto, he was sent to a nearby tree after receiving another punch from Bear who by now was beginning to tire since he thought against Itachi. "Why don't you defend yourself, demon?" – Shouted Bear to which Naruto barely lifted while mumbling. "It's because I know what's like to lose everything because of the Kyuubi. Because of him, I lost everything. I was born without knowing my parents. I grew up without knowing if they left me because they couldn't be around me or not. I spent my entire life searching for acceptance only to be spitted on and beaten constantly. The Yondaime Hokage was right for choosing me to seal the beast. Even though I don't like it, I was chosen to bear this burden. Therefore, if you want to avenge your family, go ahead." – Said Naruto to which Bear stopped ant turned to look at Naruto's eyes for any deception and was taken aback after seeing that Naruto didn't even blink after saying what he said.

Bear now was in turmoil. He didn't know what to do. For years, he bottled up his hate for the demon who took away his family and now that he had the chance to avenge them, he was suddenly having second thoughts about what exactly meant to be a jinchuuriki. As he looked at the guy in front of him with serious bruises on his body from Bear's beatings, he didn't know if he was the demon or his always reliable Anbu teammate. He always found Black Wolf to be mysterious, but now that he knew his secret, It came clear to him just how dangerous it would be for him to simply take off his mask inside Anbu HQ. Apart from Bear, a large number of Anbu members hate the Kyuubi for what he had done to Konoha.

Naruto for his part was studying his teammate's reactions right now. Up until now, Naruto was being beaten severely from something he didn't committed, however he knew better than people coming with this conclusion out of the blue. However Bear seemed to be in deep thinking right now, which came as a blessing to Naruto since one more hit and he didn't know if he would be left standing. Now he knew why Bear was feared for. "Bear-san, I don't wait to handle this another time, please release all that you've holding up now." – Said Naruto to which Bear started looking at him wondering how much beating he can endure. He was being beaten non stop for over 10 minutes and still has the strength to stand.

Back from the stands, Kakashi approached Bear seeing that he was in deep wondering and decided to aid the big guy. "Bear-san, I want to ask you something if I may?" – Asked Kakashi, reverting the man's attention towards him. "What is it, Kakashi-san?" – Questioned Bear, showing signs of near chakra depletion and exhaustion. "When you look at Naruto's eyes, what do you see?" – Asked Kakashi, making Bear turn to see Naruto only to see two ocean blue ones, filled with determination and…sorrow. "I can see a lot of determination, but a small hint of sorrow into his eyes. But why…." – Said Bear but was stopped by Kakashi who started talking. "Naruto is jinchuuriki, by definition, the Kyuubi's jail. And even though he didn't do anything to deserve the treatment he endured since he was born, he is standing there receiving what would be Kyuubi's sentence by your fists, because he acknowledged what he is." – Said Kakashi before seeing Bear's shoulder relaxing a bit.

"If what you say is true, then he is…" – Said Bear, now realizing what he did to the guy. "He is anything but the Kyuubi inside of him. Ace, could you bring Naruto's mask for us?"- Asked Kakashi to which the wolf complied and handed the mask to Kakashi. "Thanks, now Bear-san, do you want to know who Naruto is, then let's put his mask back on." – Said Kakashi before he appeared in front of Naruto and placed his mask on Naruto. Bear for his part remembered now when Naruto appeared in front of him, testing to enter Anbu and also their missions together as well as their interaction and to say that Bear was ashamed was an understatement. "Black Wolf, I….I'm sorry for what I've done…" – Said Bear but was stopped by Black Wolf. "Bear-san, do not worry about it; I accepted a long time ago what I have inside of me and therefore I'm became responsible for what happen to Konoha because of the beast. This was the main reason as to why I joined the force. Because of the mask, people no longer have to see the demon walking alongside them. Also Akatsuki is openly hunting me in order to take the Kyuubi away." – Said Naruto to which Bear nodded and came forward with his hand in an attempt for truce. "Black Wolf, I'll help you defeat them. Those bastards won't even know what hit them" – Said Bear to which Naruto nodded and hold Bear's hands along with Hawk who also appeared next to them. "Count me in as well, Black Wolf. We already have two S ranked criminals in our tab, adding a couple more wouldn't be bad at all." – Said Hawk to which Naruto turned to laugh so hard that his body began to hurt a lot because of it.

"Damn it, Hawk-taichou, don't make me laugh, my ribs are still aching from Bear's beatings. Note to self, never engage in a taijutsu match with a guy twice your size." – Mumbled Naruto that last part, making his team laugh at him as well as Kakashi and Tsunade who smiled seeing Naruto's Anbu team interact as if they grew up together. "Kakashi, Naruto made some tough friends, wouldn't you say?" – Asked Tsunade now with her arms crossed to which Kakashi smiled and answered. "He and Hawk managed to defeat Kisame and Bear was able to land some serious hits on Itachi. Also their forth member, Yuugao, is one of Konoha's best kenjutsu users. I'm sure that this team is one of Konoha's best and I'm proud to say that I was the one who taught the legendary Konoha's Shippu Ookami." – Said Kakashi as his eyes were locked at the sight of Naruto holding his ribs while laughing along with his peers.

"Speaking of Yuugao, I'll pay Kurenai a visit to see if she's feeling better." – Said Tsunade before vanishing in a swirl of leaves, leaving Kakashi there with Naruto's team.

-At Kurenai's house-

After Kurenai left Naruto, she ushered for Yuugao to rest so that they could talk in the morning. She thought best than bombard the woman with questions on what happened, even though she was quite intrigued as to why Naruto called for her instead of trying to comfort her himself. She was in deep wondering when she heard someone knocking on her door. When he opened, she was greeted by Tsunade who was crossing her arms. "Greetings Kurenai-san, can I get in? How is Yuugao?" – Asked Tsunade to which Kurenai made way for her to enter and said that Yuugao was resting.

"Kurenai-san, first of all I'm sure that Naruto will tell you, but just for you to know, minutes after you left, Akatsuki arrived coming for Naruto." – Said Tsunade to which Kurenai paled after remembering her encounter with Itachi and Kisame. "Oh my god, Tsunade-sama, what happened to him, is he okay?" – Asked Kurenai now almost on the verge of desperation. "Do not worry, Kurenai-san, nothing happened to him, He and Hawk managed to defeat Kisame and Itachi had to run" – Said Tsunade, making Kurenai relax, but not to the point of stop wondering how strong Naruto and this Hawk guy are for beating someone neither her nor Asuma managed to defeat.

Tsunade, however, saw that this subject would dwell even further, moved to stop it. "Yes, you can get the details with Naruto later. Now I came here to see Yuugao. Naruto told me she was feeling bad, but I could tell he was covering for her. What happened?" – Asked Tsunade to which Kurenai turned to answer. "According to Naruto, Yuugao saw her boyfriend kissing another woman and collapsed. He then summoned me with Ace's assistance and I brought her here." – Said Kurenai to which Tsunade nodded in sympathy for the girl. "Hayate was indeed behaving weird lately. I've been receiving some complaints that he was causing a few havocs, but now Yuugao witnessed it. When she wake up, tell her she has two days to deal with this. Her team won't be doing anymore missions since Naruto's jounin exam is tomorrow" – Said Tsunade to which Kurenai nodded and then saw Tsunade turn and walk away.

-Next day at ANBU HQ-

The next day, Naruto was looking at his mask while waiting for his turn to attend his jounin exam. He was well rested and already healed thanks to the Anbu medics and Kyuubi and was just waiting to apply the test. Having already memorized his objective, Naruto was going through number of strategies inside his head. Naruto's objective was to infiltrate a fake house that was built just for his test and retrieve an object inside. However, the object's exact location wasn't listed in the map therefore he had to find it. However, not being detected was his main objective and it didn't help that around the place, there would be four to five chunnin level ninjas and two jounins near the object. First, Naruto had to find a way to get inside, once inside he had to choose whether to take the enemy before or go straight for the object. Either way he had to get past them undetected.

"Black wolf, you're up. Good luck on the exam." – Said one of the proctors, before seeing Naruto already with his mask, nodding and walking towards the place, with calm and determination. Upon arrival, he took his time to study the place a bit. The place resembled a mid-sized clan house with several houses, bearing from storage houses to main clan houses. Upon close inspection, Naruto managed to find one of the chunnins standing behind one of the storage houses. Therefore, Naruto jumped towards the rooftop and stayed low as to avoid detection. While there, he was studying the man's guard pattern before moving to strike. Naruto chose to take care of all enemies, before moving for the object, since then he wouldn't need to worry about an escape plan. When he looked further ahead, he spotted what looked like one of the jounins standing on top of the rooftop close to his own and since he couldn't spot other presences, Naruto proceeded for his first kill.

-Inside the HQ-

While Naruto was performing his exercise, Tsunade, Ino, Sakura, Shizune, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, some of the rookie 9 and the rest of Naruto's Anbu team was watching Black Wolf standing on top of the rooftop. "It has begun" – Said Tsunade, opening the discussion with Sakura being next. "Tsunade-sama, is this guy any good?" – Asked Sakura, receiving glares from everyone present who by this point wanted nothing more than scowl at Sakura from downsizing an Anbu's abilities. However before Tsunade answered, Hawk answered for her. "I'd refrain from underestimating Black Wolf, little girl. He may be a chunnin, however he's one of the best in the force" – Said Hawk to which Sakura mentally punched him from the 'little girl' comment.

"During our missions, Black Wolf was successful in infiltrations such as these one. His calm and ability to hide his presence makes it nearly impossible for anyone to detect his presence. To today, the only one who managed to catch him was our commander, but not without struggling a little bit." – Said Bear. Others in the room, however, either chose not to speak or already knew of the man's abilities, in Kurenai, Shizune and Tsunade's case. Shikamaru, however, chose to speak, since the guy's strategy was taking a little bit of time to initiate. "Even is this exercise does not a have a time limit, would it be best if he moved already. Others could detect him eventually." – Said Shikamaru to which Asuma turned to answer to his student. "Rashness is unacceptable to a jounin. Black Wolf is studying the man's pattern to see the best form of attack. Since the main objective is not being detected by the enemy, he has to be certain that the enemy will not detect him before he moves for the strike." – Said Asuma while smiling at the sight of Naruto doing something like this. Shikamaru for his part caught the smile, but decided to let it go, since it would be very troublesome to do such a thing.

-With Naruto-

Already understanding the man's pattern, Naruto yielded his ninjato and dropped when the chunnin turned backwards from him, thus getting himself killed, well the bunshin's death, but a death nonetheless. After Naruto's swift kill, he turned to hide behind the storage house and walk cautiously towards his next target, the jounin. With this one, Naruto knew that the guy would not only walk around, but also tune his senses for any chakra presence near him, so Naruto approached the guy with his chakra concealed. Since he couldn't use chakra in order to take the jounin by surprise, Naruto used a grappling hook, propelling him up until he used his hands to hold onto the border, so that he could then study this guy's pattern for a while. For a while, Naruto stood there just watching the guy who seemed to be slightly alert. After the guy shrugged it off dismissing the alert, he turned and met with Naruto's ninjato which impaled the area close to his heart, therefore making the clone vanish.

Two down, four or five left; I must be cautious. The exam banishes my chakra usage, but the enemy can use it freely, meaning that genjutsu is open. I have to be aware of my surroundings and watch out for flaws of any kind. – Thought Naruto as he kneeled down at the next rooftop and turned to observe a lone chunnin wondering around near the main house. However his suspicions only rose when he saw what appeared to be the shape of another person there with him standing there. The reason of Naruto's suspicions was because this opponent was using a genjutsu around him, since when Naruto looked at his direction, it was different than any other direction. Quietly and quickly reaching for a single kunai, Naruto stood for a while to see if the guy would move at all, since if he missed, he would be detected. After a while, seeing that the enemy just stood there, Naruto threw the kunai and it lodged right behind the man's head, making him disappear, before the other realized.

However Naruto needed to take care of the one remaining, since he would know if the other guy was killed, therefore Naruto looked around quickly and then dashed forward the chunnin, slicing him up, just moments before he turned and then jumped towards the next rooftop.

-With the others-

After Naruto's quick display at infiltration, some claps could be heard from his fellow Anbu members. Sakura was already looking intently at the guy, also dumbstruck by his agility. "That genjutsu was a dirty trick, Tsunade-sama." – Said Kakashi to which Tsunade nodded and looked to Kurenai for explanations. "I happen to add a thing or two in this exam, Kakashi-san. Black Wolf's knowledge isn't limited to ninjustu alone. However, in order to be called a genjutsu specialist, one should be able to detect one even without the use of chakra. As you all know, genjutsu attacks the ninja's senses, therefore it's safe to assume to what appear to be may or may not be real" – Said Kurenai before smiling proudly of her boyfriend who was able to detect her B level genjutsu.

"Who is this guy anyway? Also if this is a regular jounin exam, than it's safe to say that I'll never be able to advance to jounin." – Said Ino, actually worried about her ninja career to which Tsunade snickered and turned to answer to her humble apprentice. "No, Ino this is an Anbu jounin exam. However this particular one was devised by my self, Kurenai-sand and the Anbu commander himself. You see, we have quite an interest in seeing what Black Wolf can do." – Said Tsunade before seeing her apprentice nod and turn to study the man's actions.

Unbeknown to rookie 9, all the jounin knew who Black Wolf was and were amazed by everything so far. Kurenai, however, turned to look at the Cat masked Anbu who even though was given two days to rest, appeared to see Naruto's test. Kurenai was suspicious of her friend since because of her actions. This morning, Yuugao didn't even want to talk about what happened, but when Kurenai said that she would be attending to Naruto's test, Yuugao suddenly came with her, literally transforming from sad to happy in a second. Something is very wrong here, I know Naruto wouldn't do anything, but I'm not sure if Yuugao would. Now I understand why he summoned me to comfort her, he is suspicious as well. Aren't you Naru-kun?' –Thought Kurenai.

-With Naruto-

Now was the hard time since Naruto would have to enter the main house in order to take care of the rest of the enemies and reach for the object. On top of the rooftop, Naruto managed to see a little window but big enough for him to enter the house. Once inside, Naruto hide inside one of the house's pillars. When he scanned the house, he began to curse the sadistic person who thought it was a good idea to install some cameras inside the place. Silently planning for a little prank once he learned who did this, he waited for the camera's range to pass by him and dashed quickly away from the camera's view. As he stopped right below the camera, he literally stopped breathing when he heard footsteps coming his way from the other side of the wall.

Right when he was about to strike, Naruto wondered about the true objective of this exam which was to not be detected. If he took this guy out, the camera would be aware of his presence. Therefore, he took some steps back so not only the camera couldn't detect him but the enemy as well. After the guy passed, Naruto dashed quickly across the living room, using pure speed since chakra once again was prohibited. After he was able to pass this guy, he sighed seeing that things just got complicated. At first, he wanted to eliminate the enemies so that his escape route would be easy, but now seeing that cameras were installed inside the house, he couldn't eliminate the enemy anymore, he had to evade them. 'Man, if Tsunade is in on this, I'll be sure to teach her a lesson.' – Thought Naruto as he began to move for the next room.

-With the other guys-

After Naruto entered the house, no one could see him anymore. It's like he wasn't even there. "Tsunade-sama, where is him? We can't see him." – Said Neji and Tenten altogether, now more curious than ever to learn the identity of this man. "Be calm, you two. The images that you see before you are a part of his test. And if you're not seeing him, that means he understood our little game." – Said Tsunade to which all the rookie 9 turned to Tsunade with the same question. "What little game?"

"The camera shows our chunnin there waiting for Black Wolf; therefore if he eliminates the chunnin, the camera would see that something happened, therefore spotting his presence inside the house." – Said Tsunade to which once again Kakashi labeled it as dirty trick, making Tsunade smile. "You can thank Yamato for this. It was his idea." – Said Tsunade.

-Back with Naruto-

After seeing some empty rooms, Naruto found himself wondering where the other two enemies are. Naruto had to congratulate the creator of this exam though. This was far from what he expected it to be and surprisingly enough, he was enjoying every minute of it. Since he didn't find the object yet, Naruto was sure that the object would be inside the last room. One more thing he noticed that the chakra seals were off, meaning that chakra was available. However, the rule of being undetected was still on, so he couldn't use too much. Quickly making a kage bunshin and transforming him into an ant, the clone went under the door and spied inside. After a while, the ant got out and was dispelled, telling Naruto that inside it was a camera and the two enemies were on each side of the door.

After seeing what's inside, Naruto devised a plan since now he could stop and think more clearly. He wasn't stupid to take the camera away and then strike, because there was one more opponent at the living room who could become alert, ruining Naruto's plan. However, he now could cast any jutsu and he remembered Ace teaching him one that he learned from Ace. However, he would need to escape rather quickly, but he had a very handy technique in hand for that. Oh yes, victory is upon us, now I just need to perform the jutsu correctly. Then, Naruto opened the door just a little bit in order to cast the jutsu inside. With some hand seals, Naruto mentally said "Ookami Hijutsu: Soukei Kuragari(Wolf secret style: Total Darkness Jutsu)".

After that, the room went dark, while Naruto took the object and shunshined away before anyone could come to the rescue. Meanwhile, everyone at the stands was watching intently at the last camera that went dark out of a sudden and no one except Ace knew that Naruto was already outside again, walking peacefully to the exit.

-With the other guys-

As the black started to fade and a little light began to appear, everyone saw the chunnin and jounin looking at the missing object that was located at the center of the room, as well as the ones looking from above. Suddenly, the booth was black as well and no one could understand what the hell was going on. From out of nowhere, a sudden voice appeared. "If it's me you're looking for, then you're looking at the wrong way." – Said Naruto, moments before the darkness disappeared and Black Wolf stood there next to Ace who already knew what Naruto intended to do. After his sudden appearance in the room, everyone got shivers up their spines.