Chapter 22: Wave Goodbye to Konoha

So, quite a lot of positive feedback regarding the previous chapter. You all seemed to enjoy it, and that makes me happy.

Also, thank you so much to everyone who voted on my poll. As a special treat and thank you, this chapter will feature a special trailer at the end regarding my possible NarutoxME crossover. I hope you'll all enjoy it!

With nothing else, let's move on to the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Assassin's Creed, as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft respectively.

Chapter 22

'Wave' Goodbye to Konoha

Sarutobi quietly sat in his office, studying a mission request on his desk. As he contemplated it, the door opened and his secretary stepped aside, allowing Raphael in. The assassin nodded to the secretary, before turning to face the aged Hokage. "You sent for me, Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi nodded as he indicated the mission request. "I thought you might find this interesting. A client came in…requesting a C-ranked escort back to his home village, in Nami."

Raphael's eyes widened, and he sat down. "I see then…did he give any details?"

"Beyond that he's a bridge builder and is worried about bandits? No," Sarutobi said. "This though could be a key chance for us to investigate Gato's actions in Nami. One we cannot ignore."

Raphael nodded at that. "You want me or one of the other Assassins to move in and investigate?" He asked.

"Unfortunately, I can't justify sending Yugito-san or Kiseki-san into this," Sarutobi said, lighting his pipe. "They're both jounin, and there's nothing warranting their involvement. As for yourself, I'm actually hoping for your help in perhaps tracking down a spy here in Konoha connected to a very dangerous traitor to the village. We haven't found any concrete information yet, beyond what we could connect to Mizuki."

"Then what do you intend to do? Like you said, we can't ignore this chance," the Assassin Mentor said, only for Sarutobi to smile in response.

"I never said we would ignore it. I would assign Team Eight to this mission, but they are in the middle of a D-ranked mission to a nearby farm. So instead, I'll be assigning another genin team to this mission, and inform the jounin sensei to inform us of the situation. And then we'll go from there. If you'd like, you can also send one of your contacts in there to investigate," he said.

Raphael smirked slightly. "I know just the one," he said. "I'll send a message to my contact and see what they can find."

"Good. Let us hope we can finally put an end to this mystery involving Gato," Sarutobi said. "Dismissed, Raphael-san."

"Yes Hokage-sama," he said, bowing, and heading off.

Sarutobi sat back, thinking for a moment, before activating his intercom. "Send for Kakashi Hatake immediately," he said.

Elsewhere in the village, Yakumo was panting as she settled against a tree, glancing at her training partner. "H-How can you still be going?" She asked Rock Lee.

Lee just smiled, not even seeming to be winded. "Through hard work and dedication!" He said. "I have sworn to prove that I can be a splendid ninja, even without ninjutsu and genjutsu!"

"A foolish goal," said a smug voice form behind him. Both Lee and Yakumo looked at one of Lee's teammates, Neji Hyuuga, who merely shook his head. "You cannot challenge fate. It was destined at your birth that you would always be a failure Lee. Just as it was Yakumo-san's fate to never be a kunoichi, given her body's frail condition."

Yakumo looked down, only for Lee to place a hand on her shoulder, while looking at Neji. "Neji-san, you can say what you wish about my goal, and about me. But please do not put down another for trying her best. Yakumo has every right to try and be the best she can be," he said.

Neji just shook his head, as if amused by Lee's statement. "The words of those too foolish to see the truth. Think what you will, it will not change anything Lee," he said, as he headed off.

Lee clenched a fist, and moved to go after Neji, only to be stopped by Yakumo. "Please, don't," she said softly. She had seen Lee and Neji fight, and Neji always won their spars.

Lee sighed, as he sat down next to her. "Please forgive him for his words. Neji-san has a…complicated history. But still, he should not try to force his opinion on others like that."

Yakumo just smiled a bit sadly at him. "It's alright, Lee-san. I-I don't mind," she said, though her voice was a bit strained.

Lee heard it, and clenched one fist, looking down at his feet. Underneath his orange leg warmers, he could feel the weights his sensei had given him to improve his speed, strength, and taijutsu. He knew that all he'd have to do was take them off, and he could defeat Neji, prove Neji wrong but more importantly, prove to Yakumo that she could become an incredible kunoichi without taijutsu or ninjutsu. She had told him that he had been her original inspiration, and he wanted to prove worthy of that. And yet…he knew it would be a hollow victory if he defeated Neji in such a manner. Neji would simply state it was fate. Lee wanted Neji to know that when he beat him, he was holding back. That fate had no part in the outcome, that it was all Lee's hard work and dedication. Not to mention that Gai had forbidden him from removing his weights except in an emergency.

He suddenly stood, offering her his hand. "C'mon Yakumo-san. Let us return to training. We need to help make you strong enough to pass the Genin Equivalence Exam," he said.

Yakumo look at him, before nodding in determination, taking his hand while trying to hide a slight blush. "Alright," she said, getting to her feet. "What now?"

"Now, you two spar!" Came a boisterous reply. Both glanced at the speaker, seeing a man wearing an outfit similar to lee, except he had a flak vest and no bandages around his hands. He grinned as he gave them a thumbs up. "Show us the flames of your youth with a friendly spar!"

Lee smiled and nodded to Yakumo, adopting his taijutsu stance. Yakumo took up the basic Academy style, and the two started sparring.

The jounin moved to the side, where Kurenai stood, watching Yakumo with a mixture of admiration and worry. "You're not pushing her too hard, are you Gai?" She asked.

"Do not worry, Kurenai-san. While I am pushing her, I will not go too far. You cannot force a flower to bloom, but you can coax it," Maito Gai said, watching the spar.

Kurenai nodded, smiling. "I can't believe how far she's come. When I started training her, I never thought she'd be able to achieve her dream. Now though…I feel like she can do it," she said quietly.

"Indeed. She has quite the determined spirit, much like Lee does. I believe she'll go far," Gai said with a smile. "And we shall both help her to get there."

Kurenai nodded, watching Yakumo get back up after being knocked down by a blow by Lee, seeing the determined look on her face. "…yes we will," she said.

Coast of Kaminari no Kuni

Mukei sat in a bar, looking at his cup of sake. He glanced up as Ameyuri sat down next to him, adjusting the twin cleaver like blades she had at her side. "He's coming," she said.

Mukei just gave a nod, glancing around the bar. It was packed with quite a few sailors and townspeople, as well as travelers. They were in the local tavern of one of the large port cities on Kaminari no Kuni's coast, on a 'job'.

Mukei glanced over his shoulder as the door opened, and in walked two burly men with swords at their sides, followed by a smaller, thinner man dressed in somewhat fine clothing, who wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Is there no better place we could have gone?" he contemptuously asked one of his guards.

"The ship won't be ready for a couple hours," one of his guards said. "And this place is close enough to the docks so we won't miss the ship."

"Fine, fine," he said, as he headed to a table. One of the guards, placed a hand on his sword, making a pair of dock hands at the table scurry away, as their charge sat down.

Mukei glanced over at one of his crew, and nodded to him. The crewmember grinned, taking his bottle and moving over to another table. He bumped into one of the sailors standing at the table, spilling his drink. With an angry growl, he punched the sailor, causing a brawl to erupt at the table. A brawl which quickly spread throughout the whole bar.

Mukei grinned as he saw Ameyuri knock out another patron, while the two swordsmen ended up being pulled into the brawl. He slid his sake bottle along the bar, where one of his crew grabbed it and slammed it onto the head of one of the armed guards, knocking them out. Mukei himself started advancing on the man the two had been protecting.

The man saw Mukei coming at him, and quickly drew a dagger at his side. Mukei ducked a chair flying past him, and spun around a drunken villager that tried to slug him, elbowing the man in the back of the head. The other guard grunted as two of Mukei's crew converged on him, secretly stabbing him with small daggers. The man trembled, before lunging at Mukei, stabbing down at him, only for Mukei to grab his arm to prevent the attack, and hitting him with an uppercut. The man flew back, smashing onto a table, his head lolling as he fell unconscious.

Mukei grinned, as he picked the man up, slinging him over one shoulder. "Alright lads, we got what we came for!" He said, as his crew finished off the last of the brawlers. "Ameyuri, mind paying the landlord?"

Ameyuri grinned as she tossed a bag of coins onto the bar. "Sorry for the mess," she said, as she, Mukei, the crew, and their unconscious cargo left the trashed bar.

Onboard the Ru-Same, Mukei tossed his unconscious cargo to one of his crew. "Get him stored below. I'll have questions for him later. And all hands make ready to sail!" He shouted, as the crew rushed about, prepping the ship to get underway.

He moved to the side of the ship, leaning on the railing. He remained like that for a few moments, until he felt Ameyuri stand next to him. "So, you need any help interrogating our new friend about his association with Gato?" She asked, giving Mukei a feral grin that showed off her pointed teeth.

Mukei chuckled as he glanced out over the water. "He'd be blubbering and wetting himself after only a minute with you," he said, causing Ameyuri to playfully shove his arm.

"Flatterer," she said, before her grin turned a bit softer and she leaned close. "I might need to reward you for saying such nice things about me," she whispered huskily, running a hand over his rear before sauntering off.

Mukei blushed lightly but grinned as he watched her walked off. Initially, Ameyuri had some trouble adjusting to life onboard his ship. When it came to duties, she quickly followed orders, learning the ropes on how to operate a ship. Her training in chakra had even become a boon, allowing her to quickly scale masts and grip to surfaces during rough weather. However, the fact that she was the only female onboard an entire ship of males had made things a little difficult, since it meant she had little privacy onboard, and they had to adjust some of the sleeping arrangements to give her private quarters. She had also been somewhat haughty at first, believing herself to be the best fighter on the ship given her shinobi training. And with chakra, she'd be correct. But Mukei had challenged her to see how well she fought without her chakra.

The battle between them had lasted for ten minutes, before Mukei surprisingly won, disarming Ameyuri and placing his sword to her throat. Ameyuri had been stunned, and angry at first at her loss, but that anger had driven her to improve. Every free moment she had afterwards was dedicated to practicing her combat skills without chakra. Not to mention she had been constantly challenging Mukei afterwards, obviously sore over her loss. The crew began to joke and take bets on the matches between them, seeing a rivalry form between the two.

That rivalry eventually came to a head when about a year after joining the crew, Ameyuri challenged him to yet another spar. They had stopped at a deserted island to resupply, so the crew who weren't busy gathered around, and watched as the two began to spar.

The duel lasted for close to twenty minutes, with neither of them gaining the upper hand. In the end, surprisingly, the spar ended in a draw, with his sword at her stomach, and her twin swords at his throat. The two of them had simply stared at each other for almost a full minute, before she suddenly pulled away and stalked off.

That night was when things changed between them.

Flashback (Warning, the following scene contains implied sex)

Mukei grunted a bit, sitting on the bunk in his cabin onboard his ship. He had his shirt off currently, and was examining a bruise he had on his side from where Ameyuri had gotten a kick on him. He just grinned, seeing it wasn't that bad. Sighing, he reached for a cup of alcohol when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he called out.

The door opened, and Ameyuri entered, closing the door behind her. Mukei was about to speak, until he noticed two things. The first was how she wasn't looking directly at him, and had a blush in her cheeks. The second was instead of the normal baggy clothing she wore, she was wearing a simple feminine kimono.

He just blinked in surprise, as she approached him. "Ameyuri? What's-mmph!" He managed to get out, before her lips crashed against his. He was completely caught off guard by this surprise move, and thus didn't resist as she pushed him back onto the bunk and straddled him, finally pulling her lips back from his.

"J-Just shut up and enjoy this," she said, blushing as she undid the kimono, and letting it slide off her body, revealing her naked form to him.

A couple hours later, the two were lying in the bed together, panting as sweat glistened off their skin. Mukei glanced at Ameyuri, a confused grin on his face. "So what brought this on?" He asked her, only to blink as she turned her back to him.

"I-It's nothing," she muttered quietly, only to feel the bed shift as he leaned up and over, placing a hand on her shoulder. Huddling up a bit, she finally spoke. "I…I don't know how to explain this. I just…when we were fighting today…all I could think of was how strong you looked. And how fast and graceful. And when we were standing there, facing each other, I looked into your eyes, and I saw…I don't know what I saw. This…this spirit, this passion I hadn't ever seen before. I've been around people who either had dead looking eyes, or eyes filled with fear whenever they saw me. But you…you don't fear me. You've never feared me, despite knowing I'm from one of the most bloodthirsty shinobi villages, and I was part of one of the most bloodthirsty groups inside that village. And when I saw that look…I just suddenly…I felt like I was alive. Really alive, for the first time. All I could think about was kissing you."

Mukei grinned at that. "Oh really? You found me that irresistible?" He asked with a cocky grin, only to stop when she glared at him.

"Keep that up and I'll boot you, buck naked, out of this cabin," she growled. When he made a sign of surrender, she just groaned and sat up. "I couldn't stop thinking about it all damn day. I've been in my cabin trying to deal with all these confusing emotions, until finally, I just lost it and…well…here we are," she muttered, sighing as she stared at the far wall.

Mukei sat up as well, gently placing a hand on her back, causing her to look at him. "So what now?" He asked.

Ameyuri raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't know…part of me really liked this, and wants more. But another part…it's scared of what doing more of this might mean. You know, relationship shit and stuff," she said.

Mukei grinned at her. "Then let's not worry about relationships and stuff," he said, causing her to blink at him. "Hey, I'd be insane to say no to more sex with a beautiful woman. And if later on, it turns into something more, then we'll handle it then. But for now, let's just enjoy ourselves," he said, his hand moving to cup her rear.

She growled and smacked him with a pillow, causing him to fall back on the bunk. "Fucking pervert," she said, before leaning down and smashing her lips against his again, obviously intent on starting another round.

Flashback Ends (Safe Zone!)

Their relationship after that became what one would call 'friends with benefits'. Outside of occasionally intimately sharing Mukei's cabin, and a few other places, they did not act that different with each other. However, as they spent more time together, learning more about each other, their relationship had slowly deepened. What once before was a carnal act of pleasure soon turned to something more intimate. The pair also began spending more time together outside the bedroom. Mukei had learned that Ameyuri actually greatly enjoyed reading, especially a certain series written by a certain perverted Sannin from Konoha. In turn, Ameyuri learned that Mukei actually enjoyed cooking, leading to her convincing him to occasionally cook for the entire crew.

Mukei wasn't sure what he would classify himself and Ameyuri as. They were far more than friends with benefits, but actually dating, or lovers? He wasn't sure he'd call them that either.

He sighed quietly, his mood souring a bit as he returned to the business at hand. The man they had just kidnapped was one of Gato's employee's, one of his representatives that went around to towns and tried to negotiate with the leaders of each town to start doing business with Gato. If the town's people agreed, then Gato would move in, and start to bleed the town dry with his usual business practices, until they were forced to sell the town to him. If they refused, the town would soon be overrun by bandits and thugs, before Gato came in and offered to help them rebuild, at the cost of the town doing almost exclusive business with him.

Mukei's hope was that with a little 'persuasion', he could get some information from this man about Gato's whereabouts. He knew from his continued contact with Raphael that Gato seemed to be targeting Nami now, but as to where Gato himself was, that was another story.

He turned away from the railing, heading towards the poop deck and stopping by the helmsman. "Set course for Ryōshi Bei (Fisherman's Bay)," he said, as the helmsman nodded.

"Aye aye sir!" The helmsman said, as he brought the ship around, heading on the course towards the abandoned fishing village that served as Mukei's hideout.

Mukei turned and headed down to his cabin as the ship sailed out towards open water, heading towards its home port. The crew onboard were unaware however that at that same moment, a small bird was flying towards their hideout, bearing a message that was about to change everything for them.

Konoha, the following day

"Team Seven, I have a C-ranked mission for you," Sarutobi said, looking at the three genin and the jounin that made up Team Seven. Both Sasuke and Kiba stood a bit more at attention, while Sakura looked a bit nervous. "You're going to be escorting a client back to their home in Nami no Kuni, where you are to remain until such time as they complete their business. Upon which you'll return to Konoha. Understood?" He asked.

"Alright! Bet we're escorting some important diplomat or something!" Kiba said, puffing out his chest. Sarutobi shook his head as he signaled to the door, where an attendant opened the door. And in stepped a tanned older looking man, dressed in the rough clothing of a commoner with a rope tied around his head like a headband and a conical straw hat over that. He wiped something from his beard, before looking at Team 7 with disappointed eyes.

"What's this? I ask for shinobi and get a bunch of kids? Hell, the kid with the puppy looks like a moron," he said.

Kiba growled angrily, about to step forward, when Kakashi grabbed his shoulder. "Let me at him! No one calls me a moron!" He shouted.

The man adjusted the glasses on his nose. "My name is Tazuna, and I'm a master bridge builder. I expect you to get me back home and watch over me and my family while I finish the building a bridge there. Got that?" He said, before raising a bottle of sake to his lips, and taking a gulp.

Kakashi gave an eye smile as he let go of Kiba's shoulder. "We'll all meet at the main gate in a couple hours. In the meantime, get packed for an extended mission," he said. His students headed off, Kiba still grumbling while Sakura looked a bit nervous. Tazuna just took another swig from his bottle, and headed off as well.

Before Kakashi could leave, Sarutobi spoke up. "Kakashi, are you clear on your second objective?" He asked.

"Yes Hokage-sama," Kakashi said, as he put his book away. "While in Nami, I'm to keep my eyes open for any sign of Gato or his operations and report any findings back to Konoha."

"Correct. I'll have a second squad on reserve standby should you require their services, or you find confirmation of Gato's presence in Nami. Understood?" The Hokage said.

Kakashi let out a sigh. "Hokage-sama, if you think we'll require back up, why not send a more powerful squad?" He asked.

"Because I cannot officially justify such an action. The client paid for a C-ranked mission, and that is all we can provide for initially. Should the mission parameters change, I can either recall you or send reinforcements. Are there any other questions?" He asked.

"No Hokage-sama," he said, before hesitating. "Actually yes…who would you be sending as reinforcements?" He asked.

"That would depend on your report and the situation, Kakashi. I do not know for certain at this point," he said.

"I understand. Thank you Hokage-sama. If there's nothing else, I'll go prepare for the mission," he said. Receiving a nod, he shushin away, as Sarutobi let out a sigh, sitting back.

At the Uchiha district, Sasuke was putting things into a pack. On the outside he was calm, but inside, he was eager. This was his chance to prove his strength, to prove he was growing stronger.

As he finished packing, he slung his gear onto his back, and turned to go head off. He stopped though in the living room, where his mother was sitting, reading a report regarding a financial report from one of the civilian Uchiha families. She looked up as she saw her son enter. "You have a mission?" She asked.

"Yes. An escort mission to Nami no Kuni," Sasuke said a bit proudly. Mikoto's eyes widened, as she seemed to grow worried.

"Nami no Kuni? Who are you escorting?" She asked him.

Sasuke didn't seem to notice his mother's worry as he answered. "A bridge builder. We'll be escorting him down there, and then protecting him as he finishes work on his bridge. Though I don't see why he'd need protection after we get him home. But still, this is my chance mom! My chance to finally prove I'm a strong Uchiha, just like dad was," he said happily.

Mikoto let out a sigh as she stood and moved to her son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sasuke, you're young still, just barely starting your career. Please, do not rush into danger," she said softly. "I can't lose you as well, sochi."

Sasuke blinked, before hugging his mom. "You won't mom. But I need to be strong. I need to be strong enough to protect the clan, just like father did, and you are doing." He let her go, before turning and rushing off. "I'll see you after my mission!" He called over his back.

Mikoto watched him run off, feeling her heart grow heavy. She wished quietly that she could withdraw Sasuke from the shinobi corp. She couldn't bear to lose her only remaining family. And yet she knew she couldn't. Not when other Uchiha families had their children in service to Konoha. She also knew Sasuke would never forgive her. It was his goal, almost his obsession to grow strong enough to protect the clan. Quietly, she sat down, and began to read the reports again, silently praying that Sasuke would return safe and sound.

Outside, as Sasuke rushed off, he didn't notice the hooded figure watching from the roof of one of the Uchiha buildings. Kiseki watched Sasuke rush off, before sighing quietly, lowering her head a bit.

Ever since she had awoken from her coma and been released, she had been watching over Mikoto and Sasuke whenever she could, checking in with them and ensuring they were okay. She had grown close to them during her time as Itachi's fiancé, and even if she wasn't anymore, she still considered them family.

She had unfortunately seen Sasuke's obsession with growing stronger, and she was fearful of where it would take him. Sure he wanted to be strong for what seemed like a noble goal, but his desire to be strong could lead him to simply take whatever route he could for strength. Something others could manipulate.

She slowly stood, adjusting her hood. For now, there was nothing she could do, but when Sasuke returned, she would try to turn him from the path he was on. She owed Mikoto and Ita-…well she owed Mikoto that much. She turned and disappeared, moving quickly from rooftop to rooftop with skill and grace gained from countless hours of free running practice.

At the main gate in and out of Konoha, Team Seven waited patiently for their sensei, as their client stood nearby, drinking another bottle of sake. After one particularly long swig, he looked around. "Where is that blasted sensei of yours? We need to get going." He grouched.

Sakura moved over to speak to him. "Do not worry, Tazuna-san. Our sensei will be here soon," she said. 'I hope,' she mentally added.

At that moment, Kakashi appeared, his nose still buried in his book. "Well my adorable little genin, it's time to get going, isn't it?" He asked.

Kiba grinned and pumped his fist. "Hell yeah! Let's go!" He said, about to charge out the gate when Sasuke stopped him, rolling his eyes. Kakashi gave his traditional eye smile.

"Now, now, Kiba, I admire your enthusiasm, but let's not be hasty. Don't want to go wandering into an ambush, do we?" He asked. "Now, I want you to take point Kiba, to sniff out enemies. Sasuke, stay close to him to provide support. Me and Sakura will follow up with the client. Now, we can go."

"About time," Tazuna muttered, as the team headed off with client in tow.

Eastern Hi no Kuni some hours later

In a small clearing with a pond, both Hinata and Ino were busy practicing the water walking chakra exercise. Shortly after becoming a genin team, Anko had all three of them working on this exercise, to further their control and chakra reserves. Unlike the tree walking exercise, where the shinobi clung to a solid surface, the water walking exercise taught shinobi how to unconsciously adjust their chakra levels, since water was an ever changing surface, and thus the chakra emanating from the feet had to be constantly adjusted to keep the shinobi balanced with each ripple or change. Currently, the team was taking a break during their return trip home from a mission, and was getting a bit of training in.

Both of them had quiet looks of concentration, only to grin when they heard a small explosion from nearby, followed by Naruto yelling "DAMNIT!" and Anko smacking him for cussing so loudly. While Anko had the two girls working on the water walking exercise to further expand their chakra reserves, she had decided to try and teach Naruto a couple of the fire ninjutsu she knew.

Now, Naruto was coughing and hacking a bit as smoke drifted from his mouth. He glanced at Anko, who was digging out a canteen of water for him. "Sensei…why am I learning this again?" He asked, as Anko came over and gave him the water. He began to drink it as she spoke.

"Because gaki, you're a ninja. And ninja need to learn some ninjutsu. You never know when they'll come in handy," she said. "Besides, what's cooler then launching a giant fireball from your mouth and engulfing your enemies in a fiery explosion of death?!" She asked him, grinning excitedly.

"I suppose," Naruto said a bit halfheartedly, as Anko sighed. She knew that Naruto took his Assassin training seriously, and that unfortunately did have a side effect: he was somewhat disdainful of ninjutsu. He knew the value of ninjutsu, as shadow clones proved to be quite useful to assassins, as did others like the henge and kawarimi. But he wasn't impressed with what he called 'flashy ninjutsu', such as most elemental ninjutsu. He felt it was too attention grabbing and thus not exactly useful as an Assassin. (1)

Anko sighed quietly. "Naruto, you have to remember that you're a shinobi as well. And you'll probably face shinobi enemies in the future. Wouldn't you like to have jutsu you won't need under your belt, rather than need them and not have them at all?"

Naruto glanced at her, before sighing. "You're right sensei. Just wish it wouldn't explode in my face every time I try it," he said.

"Just take it easy, okay? No need to burn your lungs or anything," she said, watching him nod and get ready for another try. Running through the handseals Anko had shown him, he stopped on the Tora one.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Grand Fireball technique!)" He shouted, drawing in breath and concentrating on his chakra, feeling it form in his chest and start to grow hot. He let out a roar, expelling the chakra from his mouth.

In previous attempts, the chakra would either simply expel itself as smoke from his mouth, or would turn into flames but would be too intense, and explode, though thankfully it was usually small enough to not be a major threat. This time though, a small fireball emerged from Naruto's mouth and shot over at the rock he was aiming at, exploding against it.

Naruto panted as he finished the technique, but grinned. "Hey, I got it!" He said, as Anko grinned.

"Knew you could finally do it gaki. Not bad for a first time, but you've still got a ways to go," she said, giving him a congratulatory slap on the shoulder and making him cough up a bit of smoke.

"T-Thanks," he coughed out, drinking a bit more water from his canteen.

The two of them moved to join Ino and Hinata, who were returning to the shore since their chakra reserves were starting to run low. Anko grinned at them all. "Alright everyone, get some rest, and then we'll get moving," she said.

The genin were just settling down, drinking some water and getting comfortable, when they heard the call of a bird of prey. Anko looked up, seeing a hawk circling them, starting to descend towards them. As it did, they could make out that it was one of Konoha's specially trained 'Field' messenger hawks. Konoha often communicated with allied villages through the use of messenger hawks that were specially trained, like carrier pigeons, to fly to a certain point and return. The reason for using hawks was they were far less likely to be intercepted by aerial predators.

However, there was also a group of messenger hawks that were specially trained to bring messages to teams in the field. These hawks were actually a summon connected to Konoha, that allowed them to utilize specially trained hawks to detect specific teams of Konoha shinobi operating in the field, and deliver messages to them when said messages were too urgent to wait for the team to either return to Konoha or reach a Konoha outpost.

Now, as the hawk landed on Anko's outstretched arm, the jounin quickly pulled the message from the small tube on its leg, before the hawk leapt off and started heading back to Konoha as it gained altitude. Anko blinked and began to unroll the message.

"What's it say, Anko-sensei?" Ino asked, only to see Anko's face grow serious.

"Team, we're moving out in five minutes, and we're double timing it back to Konoha," she said, destroying the message. "Hokage-sama needs us for an important mission."

"What mission?" Naruto asked, worried at the serious look on Anko's face. It was rare to see it, and that meant that things really must be bad.

Anko glanced at them, before speaking. "I don't know the details yet, but it's important. So everyone rest up and get ready to move," she said, gathering up and unsealing the few items she had unsealed from a storage scroll when the team had stopped for their break.

Five minutes later the three genin were following their sensei as they tree hopped at full speed. None of them knew what was going on, but with the way Anko was acting, they did know one thing: something big was going on.

*sighs* I feel horrible. I tried to write this chapter out, and it took me over a month to get this…I feel like a bad author.

Sorry guys. I'll try to make a longer chapter next time, and faster too.

And if any of you did notice, let me tell you now, the bar brawl was based off of the Assassin's Creed IV trailer. So there you go. ^.^

1. Eeyup. Naruto, who in canon loves anything that is big and awesome looking, doesn't like flashy attention grabbing stuff in my fanfic. Ironic, isn't it? But again, he's been trained as an Assassin. They tend to like being quiet and discrete. And shooting fireballs or water dragons isn't exactly discrete, is it?

Anyways, as promised, here is the trailer for my currently untitled NarutoxMass Effect idea. Enjoy!

Elysium, 2176

A group of armed humanoids stopped as they reached the corner of a building, with their leader slowly leaning his helmeted head around the corner, searching. The figure turned to his followers, the visor of his helmet turning transparent, revealing four eyes. The Batarian nodded to his squad mates. "Looks clear," he said in a harsh, guttural sounding tone, while lifting up the assault rifle in his hands to a ready position.

His followers, a mixed group of humans, Batarians, and Turians, all readied their weapons, and quickly sprinted around the corner. They were the only group so far to make it past the defenses of Illyria, the capital of the Systems Alliance colony on Elysium. In the distance, they could hear sounds of gun fire, yelling, explosions, and screams.

The team was one small fraction of a mighty pirate force that had launched a surprise raid on the human colony of Elysium, intent on plundering the colony for money, goods, and slaves. What should have been a simple raid though was turning into a nightmare for the pirates. Despite being outnumbered, the few Alliance ships in orbit had been decimating the pirate fleet. On the ground, the civilians of the colony had somehow been rallied, and now fought alongside the small Alliance garrison to defend their home. It had been over three hours since the pirates had landed, and now this team was the first to pierce the colonist's defensive line, with the intent of taking out whoever was commanding the defense.

The Batarian leading the group watched his squad spread out, weapons up as they scanned for any sign of defenders. One of them stopped as they saw movement, and quickly began to fire their shotgun at said movement. The entire squad swung around, opening up as well, their projectiles ripping into what had been a lively electronic advertisement sign, which now sputtered and collapsed, electronic sparks shooting off of it as it was ripped to pieces by the projectiles.

"Cease fire damnit!" The Batarian shouted, as his squad did so. Some of them glared at the human who had started firing, who had a bit of a sheepish grin on his face. The grin evaporated though when the sound of a shotgun blast ripped through the air and he was thrown back, his armor's kinetic barriers failing completely and his armor being torn open by the spread of pellets. Blood spurted from the chest wound, splashing another Batarian pirate near him as he let out a grunt, gasping for air as he bled out.

Before the rest could even react, another of their number, a Turian, was sent flying as what seemed like a glowing blue comet smashed into him, shattering his armor and the bones in his chest. He was sent flying back, only to be killed as a second shotgun blast ripped into his torso, ending his life.

The group whirled, seeing a new figure in their midst, holding the smoking shotgun. The figure was female, clad in standard Alliance combat armor and wearing a fully sealed helmet, with the blue glow of biotics surrounding her entire body. The only visible part of her was a pair of blue eyes, as she cheekily waved at the pirates.

"Hey there boys," she said, before letting out a yell as her biotics flared and she slammed a fist into the ground, creating a massive shockwave of biotic energy that slammed into the pirates surrounding her, sending them flying with incredible force. One of them, a Turian, went flying back the way they came, hitting the ground and rolling, while a Batarian slammed into a building, his body broken by the impact, and a third smashed into one of his comrades with such force that it broke his neck and drove his comrade into a wall. The other pirates were staggered by the sudden biotic attack, and so they couldn't react when this biotic wielding soldier brought up her shotgun, blasting a human female who was barely regaining her footing. The shot ripped through the woman's helmet, turning her head to a mass of red goo as the soldier spun, shooting another in the leg and dropping him before using a compressed wave of biotic energy to send him flying into a wall head first, crushing his skull.

The Batarian Leader growled and raised his own assault rifle, firing at the biotic woman. The first shot hit the woman's kinetic barriers, and she quickly dropped down, sliding behind a skycar that was parked nearby. The two other pirates still on their feet also began firing at the skycar, as they all advanced on the woman.

Suddenly, a small beeping disc flew over the vehicle, and the Batarian leader's eyes went wide. "GRENADE!" He shouted, jumping to one side. One of the remaining pirates, a human, dodged as well, but the remaining one, a Batarian, reacted too late, and disappeared in a flash of flames and shrapnel as the grenade exploded at his feet.

The human pirate tried to stagger back to his feet, only to get slammed by a second biotic charge, followed by another shotgun blast to the chest as he went flying, his dead body smashing through a store front window. The Batarian leader, his head reeling from the explosion, struggled to reach for his assault rifle, only for an armored boot to land on it. He slowly looked up at the human female, who had her shotgun pointed at his face. "Well…get it over with human," he spat out.

The human titled her head for a second, before shaking her head. "Nah. You're more useful alive," she said, before smashing the shotgun into the Batarian's face, knocking him out. She crouched down, and began to remove a pistol attached to the man's side via a magnetic clamp. As she did so, she missed the sight of the pirate who was thrown back the way the pirates had come getting back to his feet. The Turian shook his helmeted head, before looking at the woman. Seeing her distracted, he raised his assault rifle, about to fire, when there was a sudden sharp pain in his face that lasted for not even a second before he knew no more.

Alicia Shepard, Ensign of the Systems Alliance, looked up when she heard the sniper rifle round rip through the air, and turned, seeing the Turian with a hole in the face plate of his helmet slump to the ground, dead. She turned back, looking in the direction she knew that round had come from as she heard her radio cackle to life. "Looks like you owe me one sis."

Alicia just grinned as she activated her comlink. "Maybe, but I'm still beating you in kill count, little brother," she said teasingly, making the voice at the other end chuckle. "I've got a live one here so get a couple MP's to pick him up. Then get down here and help me plug up this leak."

"You got it," the voice said, before the radio went silent. Alicia went back to securing her prisoner as she waited, removing her helmet to reveal red shoulder length hair and a slight scar marring her left eyebrow.

A few minutes later, a skycar appeared in the skies overhead, gently setting down amidst the carnage. The doors opened up, and three figures emerged. Two of them were wearing the normal Alliance uniforms worn by Alliance Naval and Marine personal, except they had red armbands with the words MP on their left arms. As they grabbed the secured Batarian prisoner, the third figure joined Alicia. He also was wearing standard Alliance combat armor, but his helmet wasn't sealed, revealing what seemed to be a very human face. Closer inspection though revealed strange whisker like marks on his cheeks, as well as the pointy tips of canine teeth peeking out from under his upper lip, and pupils that appeared slightly more oval then a normal humans, almost slit like in appearance.

The man currently had an assault rifle in his arms, with the butt of a sniper rifle visible over his left shoulder. He nodded to Alicia, glancing around. "You know, you could maybe try asking them to surrender first next time," he said jokingly.

Alicia chuckled. "Tell you want. The next group of murderous pirates we come across, you can ask them that," she said, sliding her helmet back on.

Before the man could retort, they heard more gunfire ahead of them, drawing close. Alicia pulled out her shotgun from her back, checking the thermal readout on it. "Ready to go?"

Naruto Uzumaki Shepard gave an almost feral grin as he looked at his sister. "Always," he said, as he raised his assault rifle, and the pair rushed forward to confront the pirates.

So yes, this here is a trailer of sorts for my NarutoxMass Effect idea. I want to thank you all for voting on the poll for Naruto's origin. The results were a bit surprising, so rather than go with one of them…I decided to combine a couple of them into one origin.

Now, if you have any questions regarding this idea, please ask and I will answer what I can without spoiling too much. I just hope this trailer was enough to get your interest.

Thanks again to my beta's Kyuubi123 and Bill Alain for their awesome work!

Again, sorry about the short chapter, and the long wait for it. *still feels bad about that*

Till next chapter then.