Chapter 57

They circled me carefully. I suppressed a grin when I realized that they had run out of the knockout tags. If they didn't have the foresight to bring a few extra, I wasn't going to let them complete their operation as easily as I would otherwise.

One of them had a blade ready to sever my spinal cord. I decided to deal with them first. With a vicious twist, I spun and stabbed a senbon through his neck, putting him in a very convenient near-death state. At this point, the team lost their mission sense and focused their attention on me, enraged. Before they managed to rally, I took down two more in a similar manner. That left at least seven assailants, possibly more, three children and Nagato unconscious, and Jackal in unknown condition.

I knew I couldn't win, but they obviously had non-lethal takedown orders. I wasn't going down without a fight. Unless one of them was solid Jōnin-level or above, I knew I could take out at least one more, two if I got lucky. I knew better than to let them attack on their terms and immediately brought the fight to them, not allowing them to regroup. I didn't know how or why, but everyone in ANBU underestimated me at least once, no matter what they were told about me.

I had a vague idea of who the agents attacking me were, but unlike them, I did not make the mistake of underestimating anyone. While they were surprised by my ruthlessness and taking overly long to recover, I managed to take down a fourth one. Unfortunately, one of their older, more experienced members regained their heads and countered. Brutally. I could barely get my arms up in a mockery of a block before burst through it and his fist landed in my ribs. He definitely strengthened himself with chakra, because I felt my ribs snap under the blow. I barely managed to stay functioning and dodge his much more powerful follow-up.

I still crashed into the ground almost ten yards away and rolled another five yards. Or meters, I never managed to completely switch my units of measurement and they weren't nearly as exact as my old world.

I tried to get up, thankful that the broken ribs hadn't punctured my lung, but my arm buckled when I tried to push myself up. Too late I felt the sting of poisoned senbon in my arm. The dose I got would have been instantly lethal to anyone else, but with the Kyuubi's chakra practically saturating my body, it was enough to knock me out almost instantly and leave me sick when I woke up.

(-_-)

I woke up groggy, lying on the metal bed in one of the training interrogation rooms. It didn't require much skill to get out of, but escaping wasn't the point. The man who would apparently be interrogating me was sitting a few feet away. I started to sit up, but immediately noticed the razor-sharp wire around my neck, wrapped around both my wrists and across my hips, and then wrapped around both of my ankles.

"Good evening," the man greeted.

"I haven't even been out an hour, it's lunchtime," I refuted.

"I assure you—"

"You're lying. I am going to assume that every word you say is a lie, good luck convincing me otherwise."

"You're not very open-minded."

"It's hard to be open-minded when I watched your team, or at least the team you're associated with murder three children and my younger brother." I knew it wasn't true, so did he, but I pretended to be pissed enough that it could have been.

"They would never—" He jumped up and dashed out the door. By exercise standards, he failed. Technically, I did as well for surrendering, but I didn't care about my score, I was just pissed ANBU got Genma, his sister, and a random civilian involved. A minute later, one of Kagami's second-in-command, Mongoose, came in a cut me free, his hand tight around my left arm.

"That was a nasty trick to play on everyone."

"Is the exercise over?" I asked, annoyed, and jerked my arm free.

"Yes."

"Good. Now tell me, why the hell were civilian children involved in that exercise?"

"It was an unforeseen change in plans."

"Then why did you go through with it?" I demanded.

"The war is almost over."

"What does that have to do with the sunken islands of Kiri?" I demanded.

"That means you can be brought back out into the public eye again."

"I still don't see why you terrorized two five-year-olds and included Genma in an ANBU practice operation without my permission."

"Nagato—"

"No, Nagato is a genius, he could handle operations at that age because he was raised with the knowledge that he would be a shinobi. Genma may be smart, but he doesn't have that foundation and is not a genius. He most certainly has none of the support Nagato has always had."

"He has you."

"Only for an hour or two a day! Even if he was my full-time student, I can't be his father or mother, that opportunity was taken away from him years ago. Because he's the only family his sister has left, he is wholly responsible for her as well as himself. Maybe the other girl will be fine, but I don't know a single thing about her."

"She's the disowned daughter of a prostitute and unclaimed illegitimate daughter of a civilian clan head," he responded bluntly. "No one will miss the children if they vanish into ANBU."

"What. Do. You. Want."

"Jackal had the right idea. Teams of five are the most common in ANBU."

"You can't stick three civilians into ANBU cold. They'll never survive, they're too young."

"Nagato was fine."

"Nagato is an Uzumaki and genius. Uzumaki civilians are not normal civilians and Nagato was raised knowing he would become a shinobi, yet he still came extremely close to washing out. Regular civilians won't stand a chance."

"They have nothing to lose."

"Jackal wants me to teach Genma and Sachiko. Fine. I'll even take the girl too, but you will ruin those children in a month if they're put in our world too soon."

"What do you propose?"

"My students, my rules."

"Done."

I gaped at him.

He explained, "ANBU needs new blood. You trained Nagato, who is promising to become an extremely strong Jōnin, and you are one of the few agents who have time to train recruits. Raising recruits in ANBU seems to be more effective than anything else, Nagato isn't the first to be successful, though you haven't met many of the others. The only major investment into them that Konoha is making is your time and no matter how poor that investment turns out to be, Konoha doesn't really lose anything."

"Is that all?"

Mongoose thought for a moment. "Yes, that is all."

"May I go see my new students now?"

"You do a very poor job hiding the fact you care for them."

"Do I need to hide it?"

"You shouldn't have too," Mongoose replied ominously. Without another word, he stood up and left, leaving my confiscated weapons behind.

I put the comment out of my mind and tried to think of what the most likely place they would have brought the children was. Nagato was most likely undergoing another interrogation, which I saw no need to interrupt. Every ANBU knew better than to lay a hand on him without my explicit permission. I had no qualms about leaving someone in agonizing pain yet uninjured, though it took them a bit longer than I would have liked for everyone to get the hint. I had gotten much better at sensing and while those inside of the cells could not reach out of them in any way, those outside could sense, see, and hear those inside whenever they wanted to.

I found Genma first and as soon as I got close enough to see that he was awake, I hurried towards his cell and slipped inside. I was careful not to slam the door open, but I made no effort to quiet the sound of it opening. The boy was unsurprisingly curled underneath the metal cot, his back pressed into the corner, and had clumsily wrapped himself in several ratty blankets.

Some idiot had bound his wrists and ankles, then attached him to the cot. He managed to break the tethers to the cot, but not the ninja wire binding him, and only managed to tighten and tangle it to the point where his toes and the tips of his fingers lost circulation.

"What did you say when I asked why you were a shinobi?" Genma barked at me, much more bravely than he looked.

"You never asked," I responded, sitting down a few feet away and sliding a kunai toward him, handle first.

He snatched up the blade and quickly cut himself free before crawling over to me. I let him curl into my lap and soothed the pain in his hands and feet, reestablishing the circulation.

"W-where are we?" he asked, face buried in my shoulder.

"ANBU headquarters."

He stiffened at that.

"Officially, I've been in ANBU for the past four years."

"But you said you were a grunt medic at the hospital!"

"ANBU activities cannot be disclosed to anyone outside of the program."

Genma took a moment to process that. "Does that mean—"

"You are now an ANBU trainee," I told him bluntly.

Unsure of how to process the information, Genma pulled back to see if I was kidding, but I was dead serious. Although it wasn't completely true, everyone knew ANBU got the hardest, cruelest, most disgusting, and most dangerous missions that no one else would take. "A-am I really good enough?"

"No, but you will be before you take any missions."

A thrill of fear flashed across his face. "W-what about m-my sister?" He demanded.

"She is being incorporated into ANBU as well."

"Y-you can't make her—"

"If she wants to be a shinobi, ANBU is her only choice. If she does not want to be a shinobi, her memory of me and ANBU will be wiped, her surname changed, and she will be placed in an orphanage on the other side of the village."

Genma stared at me, horrified.

"That's how ANBU operates, but it is both to protect her from our enemies and stop a potential leak in information."

I was mildly frustrated that he just accepted it but refrained from commenting. I must have sat there for at least an hour after that, Genma refusing to budge from my lap and playing with one of my senbon. I didn't mind. I had already located the two younger girls, and both were unconscious. When one of them started to stir, I stood up, letting Genma tumble to the ground.

"Come on, the other little limpet I somehow picked up needs to be told the news."

"Sachiko?"

"No, the other girl."

"Her name is Sachiko too."

I sighed. "That's going to get confusing."

"They hate each other."

I didn't blame them. "Wait out here," I told Genma when I reached the proper cell. As soon as the door closed behind me, I felt a slight tug on my medic pouch. Years of drills had me reacting before my mind could think. I grabbed the wrist trying to pull out one of the sedatives I carried, tightening my grip until the bones shifted. The little girl scratched at my face, but the attack hit the stone floor with a sick crack before it got anywhere near me. The maneuver I used was meant for a grown man and I had put more strength into it than necessary. She hit the ground, landing awkwardly on her wrist and bouncing away from me until she fetched up against the wall. I heard bones snap as she hit the ground hard.

She screamed in pain but managed to keep her head well enough to try and escape as I hurried towards her. The wrist I had grabbed was already swelling and the hand she landed on had bone sticking out of the inside of her forearm. The girl had no way of knowing how to strengthen her body with chakra and none of the damage had been mitigated. Thankfully, her head sustained no damage. The bruises on her face and torso marked the damage she had already taken on the playground, but more bruises were already forming.

There was no way for me to placate the girl when she was in so much pain, but, to my surprise, I didn't regret it. Any civilian should have known better than to threaten a shinobi. I didn't hold out much hope that she would learn her lesson, but I did hope that she would be more cautious in the future. I ignored her weak kicks as I knelt beside her and started to heal the compound fracture first, making no effort to be gentle. Though it took longer than I would like, she eventually stopped fighting.

When she started to defiantly scrub her tears away with her freshly healed wrist, I deemed her calm enough to accept a scolding.

"You are the stupidest, bull-headed, reckless person I've ever met."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her lift her chin in defiance.

"If this keeps up, you're going to die before you reach your sixth birthday."

"Who cares?" She challenged.

I shrugged. "Do you want to be a ninja?"

"Yes!" She said with absolute certainty.

"You can't serve the village if you're dead."

"I can if it is by dying!" She snapped back.

My stomach churned. She wasn't even six! She shouldn't even understand what death was, much less wish for it. I sincerely hoped most of her words were a mask instead of the truth.

"You're just like everyone else. You don't even care."

"Why should I care about someone who just wants to die? Why should I care about someone who's just going to get their way eventually?" She didn't have an answer to that, so I pulled out the last of the two kunai I carried around, the other was with Genma. "If you really want to die, you can attack one of the ANBU who will come to get you later with this. If you want to live and learn to be a real ninja instead of a suicidal waste of space, you can follow me. I don't give a damn which one you choose, but if you choose to follow me, I will not tolerate using a rock instead of your brain."

I waited for the words to sink in before standing up and marching out.

A few seconds later, she followed.

To my surprise, Genma didn't comment when she followed me out. He just stared at his feet and shuffled after me. His sister was still unconscious several cells away. I went in and woke her up, waiting outside with Sachiko while Genma explained the situation to her. I felt bad for Genma when his sister dropped his hand the second she caught sight of the other girl. The three of them still followed me obediently. Genma's sister was definitely the sneakiest child I ever laid eyes on. She managed to pickpocket the kunai I gave Genma and while I was disabling the seal meant to keep them in the cell block, stabbed the other girl pretty good, who stabbed her back at the exact same time.

I wasn't going to dismiss their feud, but it was borderline ridiculous.

They didn't cause much damage to each other, neither had the fortitude to seriously hurt another person, but they would be in pain. I confiscated their kunai and grabbed them both by the arm and dragged them through the halls. I needed to address their hatred of each other and find a workable solution as soon as I made sure Nagato was alright. It didn't take long for me to find him.

Genma and the two girls probably thought I was insane when I stopped and stared at a seemingly random door then went back the way I came. I next took them to one of the rooms that was generally used for individual or duo training and sat them in a circle and started to lecture them.

"The three of you are in ANBU now. That means your behavior reflects on this organization. Generally, new recruits are systematically torn down physically, mentally, and emotionally, then rebuilt as a perfect soldier. They survive and thrive, or they die. Luckily for you, I don't agree with that system, but I'm not sure you'll like mine much better. Unless stated otherwise, every second of your time here from here on out is training of some sort whether you realize it or not. Any questions so far?"

The three of them shook their heads quickly. I was sending a very measured amount of killing intent their way to keep them, mainly the girls, focused on me.

"Sachiko and Sachiko, your names, obviously, are the same, and it's not fair to you," I pointed at Genma's sister, "to always be called 'Genma's sister' so the two of you are going to pick new names to go by while you're here." I gave them thirty seconds to think of something. It only took ten seconds for them to realize I was serious and start arguing with each other. "Enough," I snapped. "You will be Red," I pointed at Genma's sister, her hair had a reddish tint to it that Genma's lacked. "You will be Blondie," I told the other girl.

They protested their names, so I increased the killing intent until they almost collapsed but quickly let up.

"None of you know the first thing to being a shinobi. It's my job to get you to the point where you can get your mission done and live to report on it." I looked at the two girls. "Like it or not, the two of you will be stuck together for the next five years at the very least. There is no getting around that fact. I don't care if you compete with each other, but the two of you are responsible for each other's backs and the backs of your future teammates. You cannot hate each other. You have to be closer than siblings, because when you're out in the field, you can't rely on anyone else, and if you can't rely on each other, no one can rely on you."

I waited for that to sink in. The girls looked at each other, gazes still loaded with hatred.

"You have the rest of today to work out your differences and come to an agreement on your own. If you cannot do so, I will intervene and make you, one way or another. This is your only warning. I glanced at the clock on the wall. At sunset, I will come back and see what progress you've made. Genma, come with me."

I stood up and waited for the boy to follow, but he hesitated.

"Genma!" I barked at him. He followed immediately and I locked the two girls in the room.

"Sensei?" He asked cautiously.

"Ask away."

"What are you going to do if they don't get along?"

"Embarrass them."

"How?"

"Ever heard the phrase attached at the hip?"

Genma frowned and shook his head.

"It's an expression that means two people are so close to each other you never see one without the other. Well, if they don't shape up, they will be literally attached at the hip until they do."

While that sunk in, I led him to Nagato and my 'dorm' room. Roach had moved into the regular dorms the second he turned fifteen, though it was mostly out of necessity. Roach was taking missions above Nagato's clearance level and it was one thing to have Nagato privy to my movements and aware of the information I was dealing with, but quite another for him to be aware of another agent's. No one had moved Roach's bed out, so I decided Genma could take that bed. Nagato slept on a mattress underneath my bed.

"You can have the top bunk, that's where Roach used to sleep, but he had to move rooms. The locker there is for your armor and weapons. That desk is yours, trust me, you'll need it. If you make a mess, you clean it up. As for hazing, you shouldn't have a problem since I don't tolerate it, but if it happens and you can't handle it, tell me and if you need help, either me or Nagato will help. Any questions?" I slipped out of my Chuunin vest and set it on the back of my chair.

"What about my sister and the other girl?"

"I'll need to figure that out later. Anyways, this is one of the few places I know we won't be overheard and I need to make several things clear to you before you agree to a formal apprenticeship."

I gestured for Genma to sit at his desk. Mine faced his, while Nagato's was in the corner of the room so he could work with fewer distractions. I sat down behind my desk, on which someone had dropped three copies of apprenticeship papers. Genma nodded for me to continue. He didn't meet my eye, but I didn't expect him to.

"Do you know my full name?"

Genma shook his head. I was surprised he hadn't been told.

"At any point, you are free to walk out of this room and I will make sure you face no consequences for your decision. I will not manipulate or coerce you in any way to make your apprenticeship official and I will make sure you are placed with a decent sensei. Do you understand?"

"What does 'coerce' mean?"

"It means I will not force you in any way, be it emotional, physical, or mental."

He nodded.

"You speak for your sister on this, do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"I understand."

"My full name is Uzumaki Kichiro."

Genma looked up at me in shock. "Everyone thinks you died!"

I shook my head. "My memory is rather warped, but in the time I was gone from the village, I was actually a prisoner in Iwa, but that is information you are not to share with anyone without explicit permission from me, the ANBU General, or the Hokage." I waited for that to sink in before continuing. "Do you know what a Jinchuuriki is?"

Genma's face paled as he nodded.

"Explain to me what you know about Jinchuuriki."

"They're monsters," Genma shuddered. "The lady who took care of Sachiko and I after they left used to tell us that if we didn't behave, the Jinchuuriki would come and burn us alive."

I had a good guess who they were; I didn't ask for an explanation. "A Jinchuuriki is someone, usually a ninja, who has a tailed beast sealed inside of them. Some have bad seals and go mad from the demon raging inside their heads, but most have seals that keep them from being influenced by the beast they harbor." Genma watched me, fascinated by the almost clinical definition. "There are a few who can use the nearly limitless chakra of the tailed beast alongside their own. Only Kage stand a chance against a Jinchuuriki of that level, or a Jinchuuriki who has lost control of the tailed beast inside of them."

"Are they evil?"

"They are humans who have power few can combat. Some are angry, some are cruel, some are sad, most have had harder lives than you."

He leaned back in his chair and stared at his hands. I didn't let my gaze waver from his face.

"I am the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi."

Fear filled Genma's face. He stood up and backed away a few steps. I didn't move. He glanced between me and the door several times. "I-I don't believe you. You're nothing like how they describe Jinchuuriki."

I didn't answer.

"You're a person, right?"

"Yes."

"You don't hunt people down for sport."

"I would never."

"You're not the Kyuubi."

"I am not."

"How can I be sure?"

"I can show you what the Kyuubi's chakra feels like."

"But what if it escapes?"

"Contrary to what most have been led to believe, I have never lost control of the Kyuubi's chakra, despite my age. The instances that people would attest to were all while I or another person were manipulating a Genjutsu to convince an opponent of the fact. I have never killed anyone with the Kyuubi's chakra."

"But you've killed people."

"I have."

"How?"

"By accident, mostly. I have only intentionally killed one person."

"Why did you kill them?"

"The woman was threatening my sister and had the Hokage and several other Jōnin trapped in a Genjutsu, manipulating them into attempting to kill me."

Genma approached me cautiously. I didn't move a muscle as he laid a hand over my heart. "I'm not going to run," he decided.