Night, with Naruto…
Naruto hissed in discomfort as Angel's claws gripped his head painfully; They'd been on look out for the past week and he only had two days before Wave's council would give him an answer- or try to negotiate again. Either way Naruto wanted this part of his mission done. Perching in trees day and night while the panthers and his clones gathered information inside and another went sight seeing with Sota was not the blonde's idea of an enjoyable week.
Jenta Kendo, former accountant and recently made billionaire when Gato left some of his fortune and business to him and the sixty something year old had it made. Chunin level security, a western style mansion, and all the women he wanted. Konoha's contact had given him a packet over Jenta's schedule and list of the ninja under him, meaning all Naruto had to do was bide his time for the perfect opportunity.
An rustle of leaves in all directions was all the warning Naruto got before Habiki arrived.
"Here- his calogne" Habiki muttered between a mouthful of the aroma shrouded bottle.
'Thank you' Naruto signed. Habiki spit the bottle out. Naruto instantly sprayed it on his hair and pocketed it. One of the guards had Jenta wear it in his hair as it was a uniquely scented cologne that only he made- making tracking and identification simple.
"Are you making your move tonight, young one?" Habiki asked quietly.
'Yes, when the guard rotation changes.' The ones protecting Jenta would change positions outside his private office in the western side. The door was steel and the window was only protected by level two security seals- a non obstacle for one of Naruto's level.
Less than two minutes later the rotation happens and Jenta Kendo was peacefully working late as always. The older man lit a pipe as he signed another document, sighing contentedly. He never noticed the ANBU picking apart his 'high end' security seals- the basic shock, trap, and chakra binding tags that the average ninja wouldn't know simply because of how rare fuinjutsu was- with barely four strokes and a hand seal. He never noticed the sedative laced senbon striking his neck, or that it was a mirror image of himself that did it. With barely a gasp Jenta Kenda fell into a deep slumber.
Naruto gazed impassively at the slumbering man and changed his clothes out for the man's own on his henged form, mentally glad it went smoothly. Habiki and Angel came next to him. After tying Jenta up and handing off more sedatives to Habiki the panther and soon-to-be-dead-man disappeared in a puff of smoke, back to the summoning realm, where he'd be kept slumbering until tomorrow evening. The man would only wake up enough to be given a stroke inducing drug and would die in his bed after complaining the day away about his health.
"Go watch Sota- I have a feeling something will happen soon and I don't want us unaware" Naruto ordered in a whisper, Angel agreeing silently before jumping out the window. He redid the seals, made up the documents for Jenta's will and exited the office at exactly one ten in the morning, just like normal.
"Kendo-sama, have a pleasant rest" Rai, the sensor and sniffer of the guards bid as he bowed. Naruto kept the smirk off his face as he ambled towards his room, careful to walk like a civilian and not a shinobi.
On the road towards Wave…
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Can we fly there, un?"
"No. Stop talking, we're on a mission. Signs only."
"Hmph, stupid rule if you ask me. Why'd I get stuck with you for a babysitter and WHY ARE WE ON THIS MISSION?!"
"Because Dragon-sama is an ass and YOU made him look bad with the hospital stunt!" Hikaru glared from behind his mask. The dysfunctional duo had been assigned the 'Mouse retrieval mission' as Dragon so lovingly called it to find their comrade and get him back to Konoha safely- all without the chaos that ensued wherever they went.
Deidara scoffed at Hikaru's accusation.
"MY STUNT?! I'm not the one that said 'hey Fox, wouldn't it be funny if you dropped a bomb on the visiting Akimichi's cake?"
"Wow, blame me, real mature, Pyro-kohai. I said it would be funny, not to ACTUALLY do it. Who in their right mind drops a bomb in a HOSPITAL?!" Hikaru waved his arms in frustration, which increased when Deidara huffed.
"Blowing stuff up proves how amazing art is, un! How was I supposed to know the fatso would turn into a ball and wreck the waiting room! Dragon-teme is going to pay when we spar next! I can just see it now, un. I'll turn his whole body into art! As an EXPLOSION!" The blonde let off a cackle as Hikaru nervously backed away.
"Great, of course I'd be teamed with the psycho. Why is ANBU filled with weirdos? Yugao has a sword shrine, Tenzo worships the log privately, Chibi-kohai is obsessed with ramen and now my 'partner'…I'm the only normal one on our squad!" Hikaru mutters. Unfortunately Deidara hears him.
"Normal, un? Hell no! You have a cockroach collection under your bed!"
"They keep the floor clean after I cook!" Hikaru defended.
"So you feed them scraps? Tell me, how is that sane? And you even set up a habitat for then, un. One waved at me in the shower! I've never screamed so loud in my life, un"
"Ah yes, Fi-39 is very sociable. She helped prove you are female" Hikaru boasted. Deidara grew a tick mark.
"I'm a male! We've established this- you barged into the bathroom when I screamed"
"And you covered your chest up with the shower curtain- only ladies do that! So, you're obviously a chick."
"I have the same anatomy as any other male- We compared sizes last night" Deidara pointed out, which Hikaru dismissed with a flippant hand.
"Obviously a henge. Face it, embrace your gender! We in Konoha are very gender equal in ninja duties! No need to hide."
"You're an ass, you know that right, un?" Deidara deadpanned.
Meanwhile, a certain crow poofed away to inform its master of the two buffoon's progress while rolling its eyes at their utter unprofessionalism.
Summoning realm, following night…
Jenta Kendo blinked groggily as the world came back. He didn't remember falling asleep and the dim room he was in was deffinetly not his office.
"Good, you're awake, I was getting bored" a disembodied voice rang from above. He lifted his head- the only part not paralyzed- and widened his eyes at the sight. A young blonde ANBU- the one Konoha had sent as their political bull dog he realized- waved at him lazily while holding a needle in the other hand.
"W-why did Konoha send one of its dogs after me? This won't look good on you! When my men find out they'll"
"Associate it with a tragic accident, but will move on after it comes out that you left all your assets to secretary and secrete lover in your will, as you couldn't acknowledge his affections in public. Life will go on and nobody will miss you."
"W-wait! I'll do anything! How much do you want? Millions? How about your own island away from hunter nins? Or all the women you could want?"
"…I'm not even a teenager yet" Naruto says after a pregnant pause. "Goodbye" he finishes and throws the senbon with precision accuracy. It strikes the inside of Jenta's ear, sending him into a seizure. With a heavy sigh Naruto has them reversed summoned back to the mansion, and before a minute is up the ANBU is out the window. A dead ex-accountant gazes unseeing at the ornate ceiling in his luxurious bed. When Rai checks on his employer thirty minutes later no evidence would be left to link anything but the Shinigami to the crime.
And thus ended the life of Jenta Kendo, all because he lived in a shinobi world that saw him worth more dead than alive.
"Hey, you okay?" Angel snuggled against Naruto's side in their hotel room, him still in full gear but his emotions radiated out like a heater.
"Yeah…I don't know" he admitted. "Ever since I faced my darkness I've become colder. I played with him, Angel. I could have- should have- just let him awaken and strike before he realized what was happening. It's terrifying, how I almost enjoyed it." Angel purred.
"Silly; We kill for the village, like Dragon says. Where I'm from, the strong take pleasure in murdering or selling the weak. If you're the runt or your parents die, the hell cat clan sells you on the human black market; it's how I ended up in that store where you found me." She turned away.
"Angel, I didn't know, I'm so sorry"
"Don't apologize!" She exclaimed. "If that didn't happen I'd be dead by now of forced into producing litter after litter for the hell cats. Making you guilty isn't why I am telling you this. No, I'm telling you because I know what makes a murderer, one who has lost their humanity. You haven't. Believing otherwise is a waste of time. Just forget about the man- he deserved his fate anyway for his crimes."
That kitten is right; your merging just made you balanced. In this world of you wretched humans death is inevitable.
'Ahh, you know you love me, Kurama! You don't really hate us 'wretched humans' do you?' Silence greeted the blonde's tease.
"Let's sleep; Tomorrow we can go home" Angel mumbled.
"If that stupid council makes up their mind" mused Naruto.
"They will or I'll scratch them where the sun don't shine!"
"…You've been spending too much time with Anko again, haven't you?"
Next afternoon, leaving Wave…
Angel and Naruto gave the bridge one last look, turning towards the road back to Konoha.
"So I guess Sota was just creepy?" Angel inquired. Naruto was about to answer before tensing. A negative chakra signature that had just evaded his sensing range several times during their stay- never leaving so much as a scent when the bewildered Naruto would pursue- was closing in, its ill-intentions dull but there. In the tree line ten masked shinobi gathered. Barely pulling off a shunshin to escape a snake of shadow trying to ensnare him Naruto appeared mid air.
Now the problem with shunshing off the ground is that it leads one open for counter attacks if the opposition was able to track the chakra trail or react fast.
In the trees…
Fu had such ability and shot several kunai at Naruto, one embedding itself into his leg. The wound wasn't maimworthy- especially with the young ANBU's healing- but it would hopefully be enough to capture him without much fuss and take him back for Danzo-sama's mind control seal. With a sharp hand movement the Root agents create a circle around their target.
"Naruto Uzumaki, surrender peacefully on orders of Danzo-sama" Fu said neutrally, not really believing the Jinchuuriki would obey him- he was brainwashed by the Hokage's lies after all. Fu planned to whip the
"Screw you, Danzo's dogs" the now limping ANBU spat before summoning several dozen clones and Tigers. With a slight eye roll Fu signaled for his partner, Torune, to move on with the capture, and the Nara to his left sent out more of his shadows, the late afternoon sun perfect for increasing his range.
With Naruto…
The clones and Tigers would buy him time figure something out. He would reverse summon himself and Angel but that took time and having one of the Tigers go get permission by Habiki- even if it only took three minutes Naruto would be toast. The masks and jutsu pointed to Root, and they weren't ones to be taken lightly. He could use ninjutsu but they were close to the bridge- damaging it would look poorly on Konoha- and if he had to guess, Naruto would bet that the Root agents had counters to his strengths.
'Kurama, any ideas?'
Channel my chakra and rip their faces off? He suggested.
'They'll sense your chakra' Naruto deadpanned, not even bothering to touch the second part of the suggestion.
Barrier seals? Hello, stupid mortal, that white pervert gave some to you for a situation like this one.
'Oh yeah, oops.'
Why must I be sealed in you?!
Naruto ignored his furry partner and pulled out the barrier tags that would mask the kyubi chakra like in their training grounds. He could still accidentally damage the bridge but at least Wave wouldn't charge Konoha with acts of war for sending a Jinchuuriki by feeling the vile chakra.
The young Jinchuuriki was about to have more clones slap the tags in a semi circle when he realized he couldn't move.
"Hold him still now" the red head leader ordered. Naruto recognized him from Dragon's briefings; Fu Yamanaka, high A-class agent, right hand man of Danzo.
I'm screwed Naruto thought grimly. The Aburame next to Fu- his partner Naruto put together- walked over with another root agent, prisoner scroll in hand.
"KATSU!" A familiar voice shouts as bombs went off around Naruto, forcing his captors to separate and the link to be severed, freeing him. A ninjato from one of his kidnappers tries to stab his right shoulder through the dust cloud. Naruto blocks it with his armor. The dust starts to settle and a quick look confirms Naruto's suspicions at the sight of a certain clay bird above the forest.
"D-Deidara?! Aren't you in prison?" The slack jawed Naruto sputtered. Deidara swooped down and dropped kicked the Nara, knocking the man out. "How'd you get out? Wait, and is that H-Wolf? Did you two defect? AND WHY IS HE WEARING A FOX MASK?!"
"Che, Chibi-kohai, have more faith in your favorite sempai! Pyro-kohai and I here are your rescuers, he joined Konoha! Pyro-kohai was given the fox mask by Dragon. He said it was his little joke. Now look alive, it's time to kick some ass and take some names" Hikaru jumped down and sent a juken to the heart, the agent on the receiving end howling as they fell.
"I should be the fox mask" Naruto growled. He'd asked for the fox mask but Dragon had told him the ANBU didn't have one. The liar would pay…somehow, but he'd pay. Even S-rank ninjas weren't invulnerable.
"Wind style: drilling air bullets" At point blank range a root ninja with a poised kunai became a bowling pin for the bullets of wind chakra. Six enemies remained and Naruto barely took notice of the mask thief Deidara hopping back on the bird and following a retreating single Root towards the bridge.
"Mouse, give me some wind!" Hikaru called.
"Wind style: great breakthrough/ Fire style fire wave" and the pair's first combination jutsu decimated the Aburame's bugs.
"ART IS AN EXPLOSION, UN! KATSU!" Was heard moments later before a shockwave knocked both sides off their feet.
Tazuna was enjoying a fine late summer afternoon. His daughter and grandson were making a nice dinner, business was booming, and his bridge was magnificent. He stopped as the sun set on his way home, wanting to gaze upon his super bridge yet again.
"KATSU!"
Only to stare slack jawed as his pride and joy went kablooy.
"MY SUPER BRIDGE"