Naruto: The Youngest Anbu

Chapter 35

Normal point of view.

The next match consisted of Gaara and Lee. Gaara won, but only by a tight margin. Lee was remarkably strong that he had no choice except to resort to using Shukau's chakra to defeat him. The other matches proceeded with no complications. The fight between Ino and Sakura went very smoothly. It was a quick battle in which Sakura came out on top, courtesy to her vigorous training with Naruto, Kakashi, and Tsunade. The fight between Choji and Kiba was quite tight, but eventually, Choji came out triumphant. The fight between Shikamaru and Temari went decent. Shika kept complaining about how Temari was "such a troublesome woman" or whatever, although, Shika claimed victory, mainly because of his 200 IQ. The last fight was between Kankuro and Hinata to which Kanura came out victorious. Now, with the battles concluded, Kitsune returned to the center of everyone's attention.

"Congratulations to all that have won their respective matches. I applaud all of you. You have trained hard and should be proud of yourselves. Now, before I proceed with anything, here are a few words of advice from myself to each one of you in this arena, including those who have been watching. As you all may know, I am Kitsune, the commander of the Anbu that serve this village, we engage in rigorous missions and assignments to ensure the safety of the village and its inhabitants, and sometimes, there are unfortunate casualties that may occur in the life of a shinobi, that is why we have a set of practices that shinobi must follow." Kitsune paused his speech for a moment as everyone started murmuring. Everyone knew about the rules of a shinobi, they all knew that every ninja needed to follow it no matter what the cause. Everyone quieted down as Kitsune started speaking yet again, "There was once a man that I greatly respected, and still to this day. He was admired and held great wisdom within his experiences. Although, that all came to a halt one day where a mission led to his demise. Instead of abiding by the rules and regulations, he decided to defy them. Instead of continuing the mission, he saved a comrade. After that fateful mission, he was shunned and lost all the respect that he once had. The friend, and the comrade, that he saved also blamed him and shunned him for his actions. In the end, the man had enough and decided to commit suicide. He left his son alone and grieving for his loss. You all may know this particular ninja, his name is Hatake Sakumo. He is the father of the infamous Hatake Kakashi."

Everyone yet again started talking among themselves, but then all quieted down after they heard Kitsune's voice ring out. "You all may be wondering, 'how in the world do I respect such a man? He defied one of the major laws of shinobi, and they are known to be absolute,' well, let me explain. I agree those rules and regulations are known to be absolute, but someone once taught me something, a lesson that will forever be imprinted into my heart and my morals. A phrase that will be passed on to the younger generations, the true kings. They will grow, mature, and they will become our legacy." (Yes, Hamilton reference).

"'In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends and comrades are worse than scum.' Ask anyone who has been on the same team as me, and you will find out that I stand true to those words. Without friends, without comrades, you are a broken soul, longing for attachment. You can't always abide by the rules, if you do, then your life will forever be monotonous and tedious. There is a saying, 'rules are meant to be broken.' You will only go so far by following written down instructions, think about how much you can achieve if you just think outside the box, go up and beyond because no boundaries are holding you back. Think about it like this, if you forever stick to the laws of shinobi, you are a caged bird, beak chipped, wings broken, and the only thing you can do is cry for help. Those cries signify your soal. Your desire to be set free. And your longing to soar."

There was dead silence within the arena as everyone let his words sink in.

"Alright, I think I have said enough, although, I do hope that you all place my words into consideration. It may be a lesson that you will forever cherish. I will hand over the spotlight to the Hokage." Kitsune finished as he backed away. The Hokage walked down onto the battleground, 2 ANBU flanking him.

"Thank you, Kitsune for that memorial speech. I agree, what he said held presentiment and purpose. I would like all of you to consider his words for they may be of great value and aid in the future. Now, I congratulate all of the genins that passed. You are now of chunin rank, another step in your shinobi lives. Congratulations," The Hokage smiled as he brought out a few chunin vests. The new chunins all smiles, well, Sasuke's was more of a smirk but no one's counting. They each stepped forward and placed the vests on. They stood there proudly in the morning sun as the people in the stands cheered. Kitsune stood in the back, smiling behind his mask. He was proud of them, although this year's participants were all special.

"Hmm, you know what Kurama, I think I'll make a few exceptions this year. They all show potential, and it would be a shame if they skipped this chance," Naruto mused.

"Hn, you know kit, sometimes I feel like you're too mature for your age, you talk like an adult, no, an elderly who has been through so much and accumulated so much experience. I kind of miss the child-like side of you."

Naruto laughed. "Well, I can't help it, it's just how I roll," he smiled as he looked at the cheering crowd. The sun was right above them, shining on the ground below. It truly was a perfect day, and one to commemorate and cherish.