Wound in Pride
"Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu)" – Shouted Sasuke before a huge fireball blasted upon the lake behind the Uchiha Compound. It's been several months when Sasuke was reinstated as a shinobi for the Leaf and by now his chunnin team were able to complete a great number of high ranking missions. The cursed seal didn't bother him anymore and that was a feat to celebrate. In times when he used it, he would listen to Orochimaru voicing his satisfaction upon seeing the young Uchiha becomes more and more corrupted with power. However, there was something deep inside his mind that no matter whom, no matter what, nothing will extinguish. The Uchiha clan's pride rumored to rivals with the Hyuugas. Thus, whenever he hears how certain shinobis perform in missions, his blood boils. He can't help it. Just by saying that someone is stronger than him or faster or even smarter, he becomes angry and states that the Uchiha blood is the best there is.
A few days ago, he heard of a team composed of Anbus that managed to defeat an S class missing-nin from Iwa and also defeated Akatsuki member and former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Hoshigaki Kisame. Rumors said that this team is composed with high level Anbu jounins that seems to have mastered all forms of elemental manipulation and are also kenjutsu masters. After knowing about this, Sasuke really wanted to become an Anbu himself. Although the missions that he took were actually high level for a chunnin, Anbu level missions were even higher a danger and no chunnin would be allowed to participate. Those were the words of Kakashi, Aoba-sensei and the Hokage when they turned him down. Truth be told, they've only authorized for Naruto to speak to be Anbu HQ to see if he could enter the forces, it was the Anbu's decision to cast Naruto.
Sasuke on the other hand, wasn't called in simply because of the wrong reasons. He wanted glory above all things, Sasuke Uchiha wanted to be acknowledged above others, but being an Anbu means you hide your identity, hence the fact that although team 5 became well-known throughout the village, only a few know of their true identity. However, Sasuke smirked at the idea of becoming a jounin in a few months and then he would receive all the so called glory that all Uchiha seemed to achieve in the past, except of course for Uchiha Itachi who killed his own clan.
-With Naruto-
Opening his eyes because of the sunlight, Naruto looked around and spotted someone lying down next to him. Upon seeing who said person was, the blond smiled. The genjutsu mistress was ecstatic upon reaching a hotel yesterday so that the couple could begin their three day vacation. To Naruto, being able to see Kurenai peacefully asleep next to him was the epitome of his day. According to him, the woman was perfect in every sense. Suddenly, Kurenai let out a silent snort as the sunlight reached her face, earning another smile from Naruto upon seeing that said girl was not a morning person. "Good morning Kure-chan?" – Said Naruto as he went down and kissed her in the cheek, earning a smile and a hug from the genjutsu mistress. "Good morning Naruto-kun, oh I can't believe we can finally get some time for ourselves, it's been ages since I saw you waking up" – Said Kurenai while smiling but that soon faded when she saw that the blond was looking down. "What's the matter, Naruto-kun?" – Asked Kurenai, a little worried.
"Being an Anbu consumes a lot of my time and I can't be with you Kure-chan. In times I wondered why all Anbus have to present at such an early hour and that sucks because I can't even see you waking up" – Said Naruto not even able to look at his lover. Nonetheless, Kurenai just smiled and grabbed his chin before adjusting it so that Naruto could face her and just smashed her lips with his passionately. "I know how you feels Naru-kun and it's fill my heart with joy seeing that you wanted to be late for presenting at Anbu HQ just to see me waking up. However, you are part of the force who protects Konoha. There were times I cursed your job, but now I understand the importance of it and I want you to know that while we can't see each other much, moments like this will be even more pleasurable" – Said Kurenai before once again kissing Naruto on the lips.
"Now, how about a nice message Naru-kun, you are all tensed up. Let me work on you for a while, okay" – Whispered Kurenai closely to the blonds' ears, resulting in a hormone explosion inside the jounin. "You always know the right words to say, Kure-chan. Now that you mentioned, I'm a little bit tensed up in the back" – Said Naruto innocently to which Kurenai noticed and smirked deviously. "Oh you poor thing, here lie down and I'll work my magic on you" – Said Kurenai before taking off her robe and also Naruto's before massaging the blonds' back. While Kurenai was applying such a wonderful massage, Naruto was just surrendering to the soft touch of Kurenai's hands on his back. "Kurenai-chan, your hands are so soft" – Whispered Naruto to which Kurenai smiled before continuing the massage while slowly bending her body to touch his. Suddenly, Naruto felt something in his back that weren't his lover's hands. Punching himself in realization, he realized that Kurenai was rubbing her tits on her back in a very sexual manner.
Upon turning to see his lover, he didn't even have time to open his mouth as Kurenai smashed her lips with his and used her hands to massage his chest and arms. A little while later, Kurenai was already in control of the situation and the blond was happily letting her.
-In Konoha-
Tsunade was doing what she always did inside her office when a knock was heard. Ushered whoever it was to enter, Tsunade was surprised to see Yamato dressed up as the Anbu chief. "Greetings Hokage-sama" – Bowed Yamato to which Tsunade nodded and tuned to ask. "Greetings Yamato, what can I do for you?"
"I was looking at some of Konoha's chunnin who are about to become jounin and I was wondering if they would like the opportunity of joining Anbu forces. I have several candidates in my hand that they complete one of my teams. Anbu team 3 recently suffered two casualties and said team is in need of new personnel" – Said Yamato to which Tsunade nodded and turned to think for a while. "Can you tell me the names and I'll see if they are suitable for joining Anbu forces. Black Wolf was an exception to the rule. I didn't know he would fit in like he did and I wondered if he hid a lot of his abilities in missions" – Asked Tsunade to which Yamato nodded. "Without even thinking, Nara Shikamaru and Aburame Shino; from what I've read, Shikamaru is an excellent strategist and Shino excels in battle efficiency. Both their respective jounin senseis Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhii Kurenai states that these two are really good in what they do and Aburame Shino is already learning elemental manipulation; Shikamaru's shadow manipulation will rival his father in few years" – Explained Yamato, leaving time for Kurenai to think about it for a second.
"Shino, I don't have any problems with. He of course, is an excellent shinobi and will be able to provide help for Anbu forces. It's Shikamaru, though, that I have a problem" – Said Tsunade to which Yamato inquired as to the problem. "The boy is lazy as hell. He once rejected the Fire Daimyou's offer to become one of his 12 guards and the reason for the most part is that he thought it would be troublesome. However, another reason as to why he rejected, was because he didn't want to leave his comrades and strangely enough, Naruto as well. He feels that if he leaves, he would be extremely worried about them and he wouldn't be able to protect them should need arise. We could ask them if they want to join, I believe none of them are on missions right now, I call them here" – Said Tsunade before summoning an Anbu to go fetch Shikamaru and Shino.
"Now, what are the other names?" – Asked Tsunade to which Yamato picked up some paper and started reading. "Although they are good candidates, only Shino and Shikamaru has what it takes to become an Anbu, the others in my list are in need of improving their own abilities before I would recruit them. Uchiha Sasuke, extremely talented but greedy with power and fame which don't go on an Anbu officer; Hyuuga Neji, also extremely talented but already placed with Maito Gai, Rock Lee and Tenten, therefore I don't think he would enter in Anbu and last is Tenten herself, while master in all forms of weapons, she is in the same spot as Neji." – Said Yamato to which Tsunade nodded. "The last two already formed a team so they won't be entering; I agree on Sasuke, though about the greedy part. I didn't think he would be like Fugaku but then again the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" – Said Tsunade before listening to a knock on the door and then Shino and Shikamaru entered.
"You called us Hokage-sama" – Asked Shikamaru to which Tsunade nodded. "Yes, Shino and Shikamaru, I want to present the shinobi responsible for the Anbu program codenamed Yamato" – Said Tsunade earning a bow in respect from the two future heirs of their respective clans. "Captain Yamato here has read your personal files and was impressed with both your analytical and battle skills. Therefore, he's offering both you a place in Anbu forces. There is a team that's currently in need of two replacements and I believe that both of you are able to fill said role" – Said Tsunade before analyzing the two in front of her. Shino for his part always wondered how he could be more of service to the village. Even though he enjoyed the company of team 8, the bug user wanted more training, wanted more experience and being in a reconnaissance team could not do so much. Plus, of course, he knew that Naruto was making a name for himself in Anbu forces and Shino wanted once to do a real mission alongside the blond so to see if he could learn more about raiton manipulation.
Shikamaru for his part, wasn't so thrilled as Shino was. In fact, he wasn't thrilled by mostly anything other than staring at clouds and playing shougi with his sensei. However, he wasn't stupid to the fact that his lazy attitude could cause someone to die while on a mission and he didn't want that. Not to mention that he would be together with Naruto so it wouldn't be so bad. He was about to open his mind when Shino beat him to it. "Yamato-taichou, I don't know if you would supply information regarding one of your staff or not to us, but I wanted to have an assessment of Naruto's abilities before Anbu and now if I may" – Asked Shino to which Tsunade inquired the bug user as to the reason. "Naruto's affinities are fuuton and suiton. However he is pretty much mastering raiton manipulation and I wanted to know if Anbu provides such teachings" – Asked Shino to which Yamato nodded and turned to answer.
"Anbu HQ is composed of several training grounds in which our members can improve their abilities without worrying about having to go outside for practice, Also once you are an Anbu, you have access to a more specialized library which contain information about all the Shinobi Arts, except of course for the more secluded family information which stays within the compound's walls. Naruto developed his raiton manipulation entirely from scratch starting with some books. Also he improved his affinities up to a point of leveling an entire training ground with a fuuton technique called Fuuton Kyoumou Shippu (Wind Release: Fierce Hurricane)" – Explained Yamato to which Shino lifted an eyebrow and Shikamaru was stunned.
"From what I understand of your files, Shino you have a lightning affinity, but you Shikamaru didn't bother to find yours yet, care to explain me why?" – Asked Yamato to which Shikamaru explained. "Shadow manipulation takes a lot of knowledge to improve and master. I just wanted to reach such level before I began elemental manipulation" – Said Shikamaru to which Yamato nodded and gave the Nara a piece of paper. "Won't harm to find out what your affinity is, this will just go on your file. Just channel chakra to this piece of paper and we'll see what your affinity is" – Said Yamato to which Shikamaru mumbled troublesome and channeled chakra to the paper. To the Nara's surprise, the paper became soaked. "Ok I guess I have a suiton affinity, troublesome" – Mumbled Shikamaru to which Yamato slammed his hand on his forehead for seeing how much lazy the Nara really was. "Suiton is one popular element in Konoha and although is troublesome to learn elemental manipulation, being a suiton user grants you an advantage agaisnt katon users" – Explained Yamato encouraging the young recruit, but sadly to no avail.
"Element manipulation takes lots of chakra than can be used for dodging and evasion purposes, not to mention that shadow manipulation alone takes a considerate amount of chakra to perform. I could eventually learn fire manipulation but it would be just in order for me to have a wild card against an unsuspecting enemy" – Said Shikamaru to which Tsunade chose to elaborate further. "Shikamaru, you know well that in order to become a jounin, you'll need to master at least two forms of manipulation. While I understand that shadow manipulation could be labeled as one of the two, you'll need the other one to be qualified to being a jounin. Therefore, learning suiton ninjutsu will let you apply for jounin status" – Said Tsunade to which Shikamaru shrugged it off with his favorite word troublesome.
Seeing no need in talking much longer, Yamato chose to sum up the conversation. "Well, welcome to Anbu forces, you two. Both your jounin senseis will be notified of the promotion and will also know that you'll have two weeks remaining before you have to present yourselves to Anbu HQ. Once you enter, your squad leader will interview and test both of you in order to see if you are qualified as being Anbu material. You must understand that Anbu are the elite of Konoha's shinobi force, thus all members must feel the need to constantly progress their levels with perfection being their goal. See both of you in two weeks." – Said Yamato before vanishing, thus leaving Tsunade, Shino and Shikamaru inside the room.
"I'll call Kurenai and Asuma here in order to tell them the news. However, Kurenai is currently on vacation so we'll wait for her to return so then I can address them both at the same time. In the mean time, you're both welcomed to explain it to your comrades that you two won't be joining them much longer" – Said Tsunade before seeing the two in front of her nod in respect and then leave the office.
-With Naruto and Kurenai-
After the 'interaction' inside the hotel room, the couple chose to go outside to enjoy the night time in the village. Both were enjoying the quiet time both of them were sharing as opposed to the complicated life of a shinobi in Konoha. Now, Naruto was carrying a little bag which carried a little gift that Kurenai bought for her friend Anko. The conversation was getting along nicely with being the topic how many times a day does their Hokage falls asleep. Of course, at first Kurenai told Naruto not to belittle their Hokage like that, however when Naruto made a fun comment about comparing her snoring with a noise of an earthquake, Kurenai couldn't hold herself and started laughing a lot. Other topic of discussions soon followed like how many times the blond had to rescue Jiraya from a mob of angry women and how many times did Naruto just…leave them be. It was safe to say that Kurenai smiled deviously upon knowing that that perverted got what he deserved in more than one place.
Being a gorgeous woman such as herself, she was already victimized by Jiraya's peeping and she did already threatened said man that if she ever caught him again, she would use a specific type of genjutsu that lead the man to believing that he just got his dick cut off by a guillotine. At the time, she smiled upon seeing the face that every man does when she mentions such treatment to their sensitive body part. However, while she had the feeling that she was being peeped, she frowned seeing that being a sannin, the man probably knew of a technique that managed to fool every one's senses into believing that no one was there which frustrated her a lot. Kurenai also asked Naruto if he ever joined the damn pervert in peeping at girls while on their trip. In response, he said that he despises such behavior, however he said that he often got to look at her a lot after they got together, earning a giggle from the girl who smiled in return for the little teasing. Just as they were about to head off to the hotel and end their second night together, Kurenai looked up to see that they were in front of a shop that happen to sell women's lingerie.
Having a wild idea, Kurenai entered the place together with Naruto since they were holding hands together. Naruto for his part, wondered about Kurenai's smile, however when he noticed what were the shop's contents, he figured out instantly. Truth be told, he was impressed with his girlfriend's boldness to take her boyfriend to a lingerie shop but he wasn't about to complain. Getting inside, he was amazed by the different types of lingerie there was and also supplying him with lust images of Kurenai wearing each and every one of them.
Kurenai saw the look of her boyfriend and wondered if he ever got into a lingerie store before. Nonetheless, she shrugged it off seeing that in order for her plan to work, Naruto would have to be caught by surprise with the type of underwear she was about to purchase for him as a gift. Placing Naruto in the few benches of the shop which by the way was in front of the fitting rooms, Kurenai smiled deviously at him and went inside with her choice of lingerie. While Kurenai was putting on her lingerie, Naruto was dying in anticipation. He managed to see Kurenai's choice of underwear and started imagining how much sexier she would become when she got out of the booth. When the booth's curtains opened, Naruto couldn't do anything other than send his chin to the ground and just stare at the goddess in front of him.
Kurenai for her part was smiling on the outside, but inside, she was screaming in joy that her plan worked. She knew that her choice of lingerie was the right one when she saw it from outside the store. The lingerie was all black with the bra barely able to hold Kurenai's perfect breasts and the panties strapped together with black sexy stocking pants. Over all, Naruto could die right now and be thankful for having the opportunity to appreciate such a view. However Kurenai was far from over and she moved closer to Naruto and started to tease the blond some more by whispering dirty talk at Naruto's ears. At some point, Naruto was having trouble with controlling his hormones. In his mind, he already reached the part where he ripped all Kurenai's clothes apart and just possessed her like a maniac.
-In Konoha-
At the dango stand, Anko was satisfying her stomach with some dango sticks when Yuugao entered. For a moment, there, both just stared at each other and then Anko greeted the Anbu kunoichi. After that, Yuugao sit next to her and ordered some dango sticks for her as well. "Fancy meeting you here Yuugao-chan" – Said Anko to which Yuugao looked at Anko for a moment and then replied. "Anko, I want to ask you something. What do you think of my crush on Naruto-kun?" – Asked bluntly Yuugao earning a surprised look from Anko who wasn't expecting for such talk to happen any time soon. However, she knew how important was such issue to both her best friends and realized that she would have to get involved in this. "I don't know. Perhaps, it's just physical, I mean, the blond has some well-toned muscles around, not to mention that he looks like the Yondaime and you very well know that the Forth Hokage was one if not the most handsome man in Konoha. Did you bump to Hayate yet?" – Asked Anko.
"Not yet. Rumors said that he is acting a lot stranger than I thought. Genma-san told me that he is following the steps of a chronic drunk. As to Naruto-kun, I don't know. I mean, sure part of the crush is physical, yes. Also, there is more about him that intrigues me" – Said Yuugao before eating one of her dango sticks. Anko was curious about what could impress Yuugao this point in her life seeing that the only person that she really trusted in the past ended up backstabbing her by cheating.
Seeing Anko's questioning look, Yuugao chose to elaborate a little further. "When I saw Hayate kissing another woman, surprisingly, I saw that Naruto was trying to take away my attention so that I couldn't see what was going on. Then, when I kind of came on to him in desperation of teaching Hayate a lesson, he saw this and called Kurenai to help me deal with the treason. I never would have guessed that he could see such a thing. Now, outside the physical crush, I can see that he is such a wonderful person who in spite of everything that happened, he could still smile. I guess I just wanted to know him a little better" – Said Yuugao to which Anko smiled upon seeing that she as well often wondered about such side of the blond. Anko also had to deal with a sin she didn't commit, however while Orochimaru was hated by the shinobi part of the village, Kyuubi's hate was far superior. Not to mention that not only the shinobi but also the civilians hated the kyuubi. She knew to some aspect of Naruto's growing up and wondered how much hatred he had to overcome in order to be where he is right now.
"I admit that Naruto is an enigma as well, but you have to realize that he is with Kurenai right now. She also knows of your feelings for him. If I was in her position, I would deal with you right away, but you know how she is. She is more interested in trying to solve this without having to lose your friendship so she came to me and asked me to help" – Said Anko to which Yuugao nodded. "Kurenai is smart and she knows of my crush. I thought for a moment and realized that unlike Hayate, Naruto is faithful for whom he loves. Although it pains me to say it, I'll have to learn not to interfere with their relationship. It will be tough finding someone him, though, that's for sure. I often, wondered if Hayate was husband material and was definitely worried if I would find someone to have a family with" – Said Yuugao, shocking Anko who never realized that her friend wanted to get married and become a mother.
Seeing Anko coming in terms with what she told so far, Yuugao chose to continue. "I…wanted to marry Hayate and have children with him. Until I found that he was acting funny and then I saw him cheating on me. Now, I'm alone, though, unable to have a family of my own" – Said Yuugao, now letting some tears fall. "Yuugao-chan, you need some time for yourself. When was the last time you took a vacation? Naruto and Kurenai are on their trip, you should get some vacation" – Said Anko before seeing Yuugao leaving. "Thanks for hearing me Anko, I'll think about it".
-The next day in Tsunade's office-
After Shizune left the office with a stack of paper, Tsunade picked up a sake bottle and poured some sake. She was surprised that this headache wasn't caused by the blond. This time it was the Sarutobi heir who was causing some trouble and Tsunade figured that the boy learned such behavior from Naruto. Damn, just when I thought that Naruto was starting to behave better, damn Konohamaru goes and just follow the blonds steps – Thought Tsunade when suddenly she heard a knock on her door. Ushering whoever it was to enter, she was surprised when Yuugao entered and without her usual Anbu attire.
"What can I do for you, Yuugao-san?" – Asked the Hokage slightly worried about was going on. "I was wondering if you could take a vacation Hokage-sama. Since I became an Anbu, I've never took one" – Said Yuugao to which Tsunade nodded. "Sure Yuugao-san. As soon as Naruto returns, I'll assign you for a weeklong vacation. Is that okay for you?" – Offered Tsunade to which Yuugao nodded. "Yes, thank you Tsunade-sama. However, I would like one other thing as well if possible" – Asked Yuugao to which Tsunade nodded and let her continue. "I would like to become a jounin-sensei" – Said Yuugao, surprising Tsunade.
"While I know you're already in Anbu for more than obligated to, I also know that you liked being an Anbu. What happened?" – Asked Tsunade to which Yuugao looking at Tsunade with respect because of her position and found that she couldn't say the actual reason to her decision however she found that if she didn't come out of the blue, this story would haunt her forever. "The true reason, hokage-sama, is because I no longer can be on Naruto's team and being a jounin-sensei can take my head away from what happened with Hayate" – Said Yuugao, earning a nod from Tsunade. The Hokage remembered what happened with Hayate and also knew that Yuugao was looking at Naruto with second intentions. Tsunade liked the girl and always approved of her decisions as second in command. Now hearing another mature decision, Tsunade smiled and nodded in respect. "Alright Yuugao, since you no longer is an Anbu, you do not need to wait for Naruto to arrive as I'm putting your team on probation and find a suitable replacement" – Said Tsunade to which Yuugao nodded and left the office.
After Yuugao left the office, Tsunade sighed seeing that she now had two Anbu teams to complete. At first, she would put Shikamaru and Shino on Team 3, but now Team 5 is also short on one member. Also she wouldn't be able to move the already existing teams simply because it's not only her authority to do so but also because the other teams already formed for every situation. Sighing in frustration, she called someone who might help her decision. "Shizune, call captain Hawk from Anbu team 5 for me, please" – Shouted Tsunade before hearing a word of acknowledgment from her assistant.
Five minutes later, a flame shunshin appeared in front of the hokage and Hawk appeared with his arms crossed. The hokage, while seeing the show, wondered why it's difficult for some folks to just enter inside her office normally. "You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?" – Asked Hawk to which Tsunade nodded. "Hawk-san, I have some bad news for your team and it involves your second in command" – Said Tsunade before seeing that Hawk didn't even move a muscle. "What happened to Cat, Hokage-sama?" – Asked Hawk.
"As I'm sure you noticed how devastated Cat was from what Hayate-san did to her. Sadly, the one who was there to comfort her was Black Wolf and Cat ended up having some sort of feelings for him, but for reasons I still don't know and maybe don't even want to know. Anyway, Cat came in my office and asked to be resigned of Anbu duty and become a jounin-sensei. From my point of view, her attitude was mature seeing that since she couldn't stop looking at Naruto, she ended up making a choice and gave up the position she treasured the most. However, for her is all settled, but the reason I called you here is that now your team is short of a member and I don't know how I can fulfill her place" – Said Tsunade to which Hawk changed his pose to a thinking one.
Truth be told, he was suspicious of the way Yuugao looked at Naruto from time to time, but since Naruto was already compromised with Kurenai, Hawk figured that Yuugao would stay out of it. However, the situation was far deeper than that and now he lost his second in command. Replacing her would be tough, but he already has Bear as his third member. Even though he believed that Black Wolf had what it takes to be second in command, Hawk thought that the blond was still ways from knowing the responsibility of a leader. Now there is the search for a new forth member and if the Hokage called him to discuss this, than it means that she doesn't have a suitable replacement.
"Black Wolf's generation brought some fine shinobi and kunoichi, however while Black Wolf ended up excelling in Anbu, I don't believe the ones from his age group are suited for Anbu business. Also, operating as a three man group would really downsize out effectiveness in battle. I…." – Said Hawk but was interrupted when a familiar voice appeared from outside the office's window.
"If I hear it correctly, Hawk's team is short of one member, right" – Said Kakashi before entering inside but not making eye contact because he was just finishing reading a chapter of the orange book. "Kakashi, what are you doing here, I didn't call for you" – Snorted Tsunade, becoming even more aggravated by the silver-haired jounin copying Jiraya's way of pissing her off the most. While Hawk found it amusing how the man would appear to ignore the most important person in the village, Kakashi was just finishing the chapter and didn't even focus on his surroundings enough to hear the Hokage.
When he closed the book, he was scared by the angry face of Tsunade and wondered what happened for her to behave like this. Hawk just sweat dropped when he saw that Kakashi wasn't ignoring the Hokage but instead being more focused on reading the book. "After this, we'll discuss your intrusion here Kakashi without me calling for you, but yes me and Hawk were discussing about the search for a forth member for team 5. Do you have any ideas?" – Asked Tsunade with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"As a matter of fact, I do Hokage-sama. ME!" – Said Kakashi, smiling before seeing Tsunade and Hawk look at him like the man was crazy. "Excuse me Kakashi-senpai, but what do you mean?" – Asked Hawk, filling in for the Hokage who by now was wondering what possessed the man to return to Anbu duty after asking to leave a long time ago. "My once genin team is no more. Sasuke is already grouped with Aoba; Sakura is doing wonders as a medic-nin and Naruto is on his way to become an Anbu captain in the future. Also Hokage-sama, I suddenly felt the need of tougher missions then the ones I've been doing so far. Instate me as the forth member of Team 5 with Hawk here as the captain." – Said Kakashi before seeing Tsunade look at him suspiciously.
"Well, if you'd like to enter Anbu again Kakashi, you'll be then member of team 5. I still wonder if you're doing this because of who is on the team but…" – Said Tsunade, but was interrupted by Kakashi who smiled and said. "There is also a reason to my decision. I guess I wanted to see the real Naruto in action and even fight alongside him in battles. I also heard about Naruto's coordinated jutsus with Hawk and I have to say that co-op jutsus intrigues me. While Hawk and Naruto can join together in a fuuton + katon attack, I can also co-op with him in order to create a raiton + suiton attack" – Said Kakashi, earning a smile and a nod from Hawk who began to wonder the different attack patterns that his team could do together with Kakashi.
Hawk was beating himself from remembering that Cat was a suiton user, thus uniting her and Black Wolf to form the raiton + suiton attack, however now that Kakashi was part of the team. "Then, as the leader of the team, I welcome you Kakashi to my squad. Or should I say dog?" – Said Hawk to which Kakashi nodded while remembering the last time he was called by his mask. Tsunade for her part smiled upon being able to close the teams. "I guess you still have your Anbu uniform Kakashi, so when Naruto arrives tomorrow, all four of you will present to Anbu HQ. Also Kakashi, if I hear from the Anbu commander that you're late, I'll burn every one of those books myself." – Threatened Tsunade, making Kakashi flinch at the possibility of no more Icha Icha.
-Next day-
Naruto and Kurenai were seen traveling back to Konoha while holding hands. They checked out this morning and while both were sad that their vacation ended, they smiled upon having one another. A while later, the huge gate came to view in front of them and two chunnins responsible for gate guarding, checked their papers.
Once inside the village, three beings appeared in front of the couple wearing Anbu masks. Naruto instantly recognized Hawk and Bear, however the last time he saw them, there was a cat mask instead of a dog. When Naruto noticed the silver hair, though, he couldn't form words in his mouth. Kurenai wondered what the matter with her boyfriend was when Kakashi spoke out of the blue. "I see you recognized me easily Naruto, welcome back. As you can see, I'm now a member of your Anbu team" – Said Kakashi to which Naruto smiled and nodded. "That's great Kakashi-sensei. But what happened to Cat-senpai?" – Asked Naruto to which Hawk chose to answer.
"I guess I'll say it now, since it involves both of you. Yuugao-san asked Hokage-sama to resign from Anbu duty for 'personal' reasons. Kakashi-senpai here volunteered to be in her position for reasons that will be discussed once inside Anbu HQ" – Said Hawk earning a surprised look from the couple in front of them.
Kurenai was shocked that Yuugao would quit being an Anbu. She knew how much her friend treasured the position and wondered why the hell she dropped out. She was curious as hell to know and she needed to know. Looking at her boyfriend, she saw that he nodded for her. For some reason, the blond was thinking the same way as Kurenai so he also knew that Kurenai would want to talk to Yuugao the first thing. "Excuse me gentlemen, I have to talk to someone" – Said Kurenai before vanishing a swirl of leaves.
Naruto after seeing his girlfriend leave turned to his new team. "I guess we have to present to HQ now, right. So, would you all accompany me to my apartment for me to change and then all five of us can go" – Said Naruto before walking towards his apartment.
-At Naruto's apartment-
When Naruto and co. arrived in front of his apartment, he was surprised to see Inuzuka Hana standing there presumably waiting for something. "Good afternoon Hana-san, what are you doing in front of my apartment?" – Asked Naruto curious to which the woman smiled and responded. "Oh hi Naruto; I was just walking with my dogs when one of the triplets vanished. I managed to track her inside your place but I couldn't just barge in, so I was here waiting for you to arrive" – Said Hana, scratching the back of her head earning a sigh from Naruto who pretty much guessed what was happening inside. "Hana-san, may I ask you something?"
Yes, Naruto what's up?" – Asked Hana slightly suspicious of the blonds' questioning. "Would you be mad if by chance, your dog is having an affair with my wolf?" – Asked Naruto before seeing the surprised look from Hana and sweat drops coming from his Anbu peers. Without waiting for a response, Naruto opened the door of his apartment before being shocked at the sight before him. Inside a basket, there laid five puppies and Hana's dog sleeping near them while Ace was licking his mate's face.
When Ace turned to see who was opening the door, he looked at Naruto's face and also Hana's. Safe to say he wished to face the wolf boss. Naruto for his part waited for the woman to scream and go all ballistic at him; however upon looking at her face, he wondered why the hell she was smiling. "Naruto, Ace is a wind wolf, right?" – Asked Hana getting all her hopes on changing the clan for the better. "Yes, he is. Why do you ask?" – Asked Naruto, now knowing what Hana looked at him. "Can't you see? Now, the Inuzuka's breed will be able to do fuuton jutsus as well as my clan's signature techniques. Oh my god, I have to take them to kaa-san, so she could take a look at them" – Said Hana, but before she could take the basket, Ace was there to intervene.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. With all due respect of your clan Inuzuka, these are my puppies as well" – Said Ace in a threatening manner. "My excuses Ace-san, I mean no disrespect. We of the Inuzuka clan excel in dog care both in nutrition and in health. With us, they will be in better care and will grow much healthier. Not to mention that they will receive training both from their father and my clan" – Said Hana to which Ace turned to think about it. However the puppies' mother licked his face, he knew that she would like her puppies to be treated with care so he accepted Hana's terms.
After seeing Ace nodding in acceptance, Hana smiled and took the basket towards her family compound. Naruto smiled to his companion and told him of his new team while he went to put his Anbu uniform and the black wolf mask. When he was ready, all five of them went to Anbu HQ in order to be briefed on missions.
-In Anbu HQ-
Already inside, Team 5 was standing in front of the Anbu commander and said man was having difficulties in speaking to Kakashi and not addressing the man as he used to. After all, Kakashi could very well be in his position if he didn't leave. "Kakashi-senpai, it's great to see you as one of us again. I heard about Yuugao resigning and was also worried about how to find a suitable replacement for her. Also, Naruto I'm glad to tell you that the Anbu just recruited two chunnins from your age group in order to complete Team 3" – Said Yamato to which Naruto looked at him in question. "Nara Shikamaru and Aburame Shino are to present here in one week from today. Tsunade-sama is already conversing with Asuma and Kurenai" – Said Yamato.
"Shino, I'm ok with it, but how did you convince Shikamaru to join? I mean he doesn't like having more responsibilities than he has to" – Asked Naruto to which Yamato sighed, remembering the conversation he had. "It was tough I'll tell you that. Shino wanted to enter so that he could improve his skills. Actually it's thanks to your efforts in learning raiton element here that made him join. He wants to improve his raiton affinity. As to Shikamaru, he was hesitated at first, but with aid from the hokage, we managed to convince him to join" – Said Yamato, earning a smile from Naruto.
"Well let's proceed. Team 5 you all have an Anbu A ranked mission. According to a report of our reconnaissance team, there's been some strange movement going on near Tanzaku Town. Apparently, a group of missing-nins from different countries are terrorizing the place and claiming as their own. However, our reconnaissance team wasn't able to see their strength or their weakness, so try gauging their abilities before engaging into battle with them. Also, when you guys return, tonight is team 5's day of guarding duty, dismissed" – Said Yamato before seeing the team leave towards Tanzaku City.
-With Kurenai-
Kurenai was seen leaving the Hokage's office after a meeting regarding Shino's joining the Anbu. Of course she was happy for him being promoted and the fact that Shino would be closer to Naruto now, thus being able to form a bond. She also learned that Shikamaru entered also so she knew both of them would contact Naruto, thus creating a little group of friends. What concerned her, though, was the reason to Yuugao's resignation from Anbu service. According to Tsunade, Yuugao said that she couldn't be in Naruto's team nor would she like to be with another team, so she chose to abandon everything and start over as a jounin-sensei.
Kurenai feared that the situation was even deeper than she realized. She initially thought that Yuugao's crush on Naruto was more physical than emotional. Kurenai always believed Yuugao to be a power of strength, but then I guess her love life was at first taken care of by Hayate so she didn't need to worry. Now that Hayate cheated on her, she was devastated. Kurenai wanted to talk with Yuugao, but according to the Hokage, the woman was on vacation right now and was due to arrive only next week. Kurenai feared that she would lose Yuugao's friendship because of this and really hoped that Yuugao could at least talk to her about her decision.
Sighing in frustration and since her team was sent on a mission with Genma, she figured the only thing she could do right now is pay a visit to Anko.
-With Team 5-
Charging towards Tanzaku City in unimaginable speeds, all members of the team except Kakashi were wondering what would be like working alongside the silver haired man. The only time Naruto saw the man fighting for real was against Momochi Zabuza, but at the time he was just a kid so everything more than an academy jutsu was cool in a kid's eyes. Now that Kakashi returned to Anbu, Naruto smiled at the opportunity of seeing the real Hatake Kakashi in battle. Not to mention that Hawk and Bear were also there.
"Black Wolf, I heard of your Shippu Ookami name in the Hidden Cloud's bingo book, congratulations. I'm proud of seeing one of my students in a foreign bingo book. Your reputation is growing, I can tell" – Said Kakashi while jumping through trees, earning Naruto's attention. "Thanks Dog. However, I'm not sure if I being in a bingo book was a good idea. Anbu are not meant to be individualized, hence the meaning of using masks and all. Tsunade said that putting my name in Cloud's Bingo Book would save Konoha from their attacks and increase the village's economy, so I ended up accepting" – Said Naruto to which Kakashi nodded.
"Yes, although being an Anbu means that our identity is to be a secret, having a name on a bingo book ends up drawing unwanted attention. I talk out of experience here. Copy-cat ninja Kakashi was created when I was still in Anbu duty, in fact one of my hidden reasons for resignations was the fact that I ended up calling too much unwanted attention to myself, thus placing my team on very difficult situations. Don't worry about you, though, our team is very tough and I believe we can handle pretty much everything. If you and Hawk managed to take out Kisame, then it will be tough to find someone who could go up against all of us" – Said Kakashi to which Naruto nodded.
"Dog and Ace; we are arriving Tanzaku City. What can you tell us about the enemies" – Ordered Hawk as the team leader to which Ace chose to go first. "From what I gathered from my nose, it will be a tough job. The missing-nins are smart, since I believe they mingled with the citizens so as to not get caught. I believe Dog will be of more assistance with his sharingan once we arrive at the place" – Said Ace to which Hawk concurred and looked at Kakashi who also nodded in response. "Black Wolf, me and Bear will place a henge on ourselves as well and search for them inside. Dog and Ace will be up the walls looking from above and communicate to the team below, the location of the enemies. After establishing the enemies position, Dog and Ace are to hide and catch the enemy unprepared while we take their attention" – Explained Hawk before seeing all of his team nodding.
Upon arrival, each teammate set out to do what they were supposed to do. Ace and Kakashi went up the city walls and started looking out for the enemy's position. Meanwhile, the rest of the team disguised as regular citizens and entered inside. Hawk, being the most experienced of the three, already located a suspicious one near the vending machines. Transmitting the info to Kakashi, said man recognized the henge and also was able to see that the man was from hidden cloud. "Hawk, the man was from Cloud. I can see the crossed headband. Ace is sniffing right now and was already able to locate another three of them. From what he told me, all of them were from Cloud, however we still need to find the other ones" – Said Kakashi on the intercom.
"Dog, I was able to locate another one. Directly in front of me at the sushi stand" – Said Naruto to which Kakashi diverted his attention in order to look for the suspect. "Huh. That one was from Iwa. Me and Ace have already gathered some of the targets and will follow them to see where they are going" – Reported Kakashi to which Hawk nodded. "Ace, try to sniff around for their hideout; the missing-nins must have settled a base of operations inside the city" – Ordered Hawk to which Ace acknowledged and began using fuuton chakra to increase his sense of smell.
At one point, he managed to find what looked like the city's hotel. Inside, he covered a couple of powerful scents. "Hawk, it appears that they using the city's hotel for their little base. Dog also pinpointed some chakra signatures inside" – Said Ace to which Hawk acknowledged and signaled for Black Wolf and Bear to go somewhere when they can regroup in order to formulate a plan for an attack.
Once the team was reunited once again, Hawk began to speak. "Okay, from what we've been able to see, we have missing-nins from Cloud and Iwa to take care of. It's not safe to assume things in Anbu, but it's presumed that we are up against raiton and doton users. Black Wolf, you and Ace are better equipped to deal with raiton users, seeing that you are a fuuton user. Dog, you will be up against the ones from Iwa since you are a raiton user. Bear and I will provide backup to each of you" – Explained Hawk before earning nods from the group.
After the plan was formed, they needed a suitable way of getting in without alerting the enemy of their presence. Kakashi, however, just smiled and made some hand signs for Suiton Kirigakure no Jutsu and instantly a mist was formed around the team, catching at least five missing-nins inside; three from Cloud and two from Iwa. Getting ready for an attack, the missing-nins cursed themselves from not being prepared in case Konoha discovered them. Suddenly, two thunder spears (Raiton Ikazuchi no Yari – Lightning Release: Thunder Spear Jutsu) and three wind swords (Fuuton Kaze no Yaiba – Wind Release: Wind Sword Jutsu) stroke the designated targets and five heads fell on the floor. After that, the mist vanished and showed Dog side by side with Black Wolf followed by Hawk and Bear behind. "Seal them inside a scroll and impersonate one of them in order to capture the rest of them" – Shouted Hawk to which Kakashi complied without question, but he was wondering what got Hawk into being angry like that.
Naruto for his part eyes his captain for a moment before transforming into one of the missing-nins on the floor. When he was about to ask, however, Kakashi landed his hands on his shoulder and told him to drop the subject to later. Realizing that this was maybe a tough subject, Naruto nodded and left with Kakashi to lure the rest of them to the trap, leaving Hawk and Bear to look each other. "I wanted to kill this bastard for what he did to my brother" – Shouted Hawk before Bear rested his hands on his shoulder and asked him to drop this until arriving in Konoha. Hawk was hesitant at first, but then complied.
With Naruto and Kakashi, they were able to locate the next four missing-nins that needed to take care of. Approaching the group, Kakashi used sign language to the group since he knew that's how missing-nins talk with one another. The group got the news that one of them wanted to have a meeting with the entire group in order to discuss some issues concerning their plan. All of them bought it and were following Kakashi and Naruto to the trap ahead of them. However, before they could arrive, Hawk deliberately appeared and started attacking the group of four, startling Naruto and Kakashi since the plan was to lure them inside the hotel.
Immediately joining Hawk's side, Naruto and Kakashi dropped the henge, earning the frustration of the group. "Dammit Hawk-taichou, everyone close your eyes" – Said Naruto as he began a series of hand seals for Ookami Hijutsu: Soukei Kuragari (Wolf secret style: Total Darkness Jutsu)". Luckily, Kakashi listened to his student and closed his eyes so he wasn't hit by the technique. When he opened his eyes, he saw Naruto calmly walking towards the enemy and with his ninjato, he sliced all four of the enemies heads, hence killing them all. "Dog, would you please seal these ones before the technique runs out. You only have a minute" – Said Naruto to which Kakashi nodded and went to seal the bodies.
When Hawk and the rest of the crowd opened their eyes, something was missing. "Where are they? Where did they go?" – Asked Hawk on the verge of snarling in anger, thus Kakashi went close to him and try to calm him down. "Relax; Black Wolf took care of them. Let's reach Bear and go back to Konoha. We still have guard duty to do tonight" – Said Kakashi to which Hawk looked at Black Wolf for a moment and then relaxed. "Ok, team let's head back" – Said Hawk with a dejected voice that made Naruto wonder yet again what was the relation between the missing-nins and his captain.
-In Konoha-
Once back, the Anbu team presented the report for the Anbu commander. Yamato knew of what happened by Hawk himself who admitted that he was wrong in letting his emotions almost ruin the mission. Yamato sighed and rested his hands on Hawk's shoulder. "As Anbu, we're expected to have control of our emotions. However, I know why you went ballistic on them. Your brother's death hit you pretty bad and upon seeing the one who murdered him, no one could be so cold and act calmly. I'm not holding you responsible for what happened. However, from what the reports indicated, if it wasn't for Black Wolf and Dog, the mission would end in failure and the people from Tanzaku City could be dead. I also won't report this to the Hokage. You're one of the best captains and pride of the Anbu force. Now, it's guard duty; use it to pay your respects for your brother and then move on" – Said Yamato earning the nod from Hawk.
After Yamato dismissed the team, all of them head out to each side of Konoha for an advanced guard duty around the entire village. Naruto of course, chose the side which he would be able to watch Kurenai's apartment and the rest were divided to the rest of the teams. "Team, first of all I'd like to apologize for my behavior and I appreciate that Kakashi-senpai was there to take control of the mission. Bear, thanks for the concern and Black Wolf, thank you for killing those sons of bitches. Now, it's guard duty for us. You all know the drill. Communicate through the intercom should you find anything suspicious" – Said Hawk to which each of the group nodded and left.
Kakashi, however, called Naruto for a little talk before he left. "What is it, Kakashi-sensei?" – Asked Naruto to which Kakashi turned serious. "Naruto, I wanted to ask how you felt after decapitating the enemy so ruthlessly. While efficient, I found it slight vicious, what happened?" – Asked Kakashi, clearly concerned that the blond lost forever his innocence. Naruto for his part wondered why Kakashi asked, but answered any way. "They were the enemy Kakashi-sensei. If you're wondering about me being sane, don't. I used the Ookami jutsu so that no one had to see it. As to what I felt, my stomach flipped after I witnessed the heads falling on the floor. I had to do it, though, for the sake of the mission and avoiding unnecessary damage to the team" – Said Naruto to which Kakashi smiled.
"Sorry to question that Naruto, it's just that I've never seen this side of you in a mission, thus I was caught by surprise, that's all. Let's proceed with the guard duty" – Said Kakashi before sunshining out of the way, leaving Naruto to nod and then leave in a sunshin as well.