Undercover Anbu (Naruto FanFic)

Undercover Anbu ~ Prologue

Okay, as much as I may wish, I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I am just a tad bit obsessed.

   ~

     “Red, would you please take off your mask,” the Third said between huffs of his pipe. The old man really shouldn’t smoke.  He had to have been pushing late 60’s.  Age spots had begun showing on his face and it seemed every time I saw him he was getting new wrinkles, but his eyes were as bright and child-like as ever.  Eyes that have witnessed many battles and eyes that burned with the Will of Fire.

     I stayed kneeled in front of him.  I pushed the hood of the black cloak back, a cloak that all the Anbu Black Ops had along with a mask, all in efforts to hide our identity.  I gripped the wooden mask, the one I’ve had since my first day.  It was a cream colored mask in the shape of a cat’s face with a red spiral that stopped in the center of the mask right in between the two round holes I could see through.  I hadn’t taken my mask off in quite some time; it was almost a scary thought.   Since I became an Anbu, the mask had remained on my face almost all the time.  With the mask no one knew who I was.  I let the mask drop to the floor and my caramel colored bangs fall in front of my face.

     I rose to my feet and met the eyes of the Hokage, “Is there a reason I was summoned? I mean, me in particular?”

    “Yes, there is.  I have a mission for you, that I believe only you can do,” his voice was completely serious.  It was extremely rare an Anbu, even a ninja, was assigned a lone mission.  My stomach began clenching.  For me?  Some people might’ve considered that just plain suicide.  Being one of the youngest Anbu at the age of 13 and a girl for that matter, most people looked down on me. 

     No.  There was a reason I made it into the Anbu, I could handle any mission he threw at me, alone or not.

     The Hokage grabbed two files and slid them my way, “In less than a week, our ninja academy students will be put into teams.  You are just old enough to pass as a student and you will be put on a team with two other ninja along with their sensei. ”

     I opened the first file and saw a picture of a blonde spiky haired boy, “Naruto Uzumaki?” I asked.

    “Yes, Minato’s boy, but as you know both of his parents are dead.  Inside of Naruto the nine-tailed fox is sealed, that problem speaks for itself.  He is known as the Leaf’s knuckle-headed ninja and is constantly getting into trouble.  He wants to be noticed, he wants a friend.  Both your parents are dead too, aren’t they?”

    It was just an innocent question, but it burned.  I knew I should just utter that three-lettered word, but I couldn’t.  After all the years it’s been I still couldn’t say it.  I couldn’t admit to the truth, and I couldn’t admit to how it was all my fault.

     I guess staring at the ground was an answer enough for him, he cleared his throat and continued, “I am worried that his anger from being alone will result in… Well… You know where I am going.  . Because he is the nine-tails host there are targets all over his back. I am not sure if I can trust a jounin alone to protect him.  Most of the villagers think I am insane for even letting him become a ninja.”

     I opened the next file and my stomach did a complete 180.

     “And then there’s Sasuke, I do believe you can relate to him better than anyone else.”

     Sasuke Uchiha.

     The only Uchiha left.

     Besides me.