Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…sniff sniff Silly Santa didn't get me what I wanted-the complete ownership of Naruto! Oh well, I don't own Naruto!

Author's Notes: Hey, this is my Christmas/Hinata's birthday one-shot. I got this idea from…well, I'm not quite sure where I got the idea from. I did get the title from the classic movie, Casablanca. Great film, you should all see it. Happy late Christmas or whatever holiday you choose/chose to celebrate, and most importantly, Happy Birthday Hyuuga Hinata.

Note: The majority of this story will be taking place in one giant flashback. The flashback takes place after the first line break.

SPOILER WARNING (MAYBE):

Akatsuki has not, I repeat, NOT killed any of the main characters, with the exception of Gaara (who was later resurrected). This means that Asuma is still alive. Sasori was killed, but not by Sakura. He was killed by Nartuo; the reason behind this will be explained later on in the story.

"Regular Talk"

'Thoughts'

"Demon/Inner Sakura Talk"

'Demon/Inner Sakura Thought'

Begin:

Here's To Looking At You

"Here's to looking at you,1" he stated from his position against the wall in the alley.

She stared at him with worried pale-lavender eyes as he raised the jug of sake to his mouth in an honorary toast to her. Why was she here? She had no idea; she could've been in the Hyuuga compound, celebrating her birthday, which had become much more festive ever since Naruto-kun had defeated Neji-niisan almost seven years ago.

Naruto-kun…

It had been so long…so very long since it had happened. How did it happen? She started to think back to a time that was decidedly much happier than now, about seven months ago. It was a time…when the future still looked bright.

------------------------------------

FLASHBACK (Will continue for a majority of the story)

Seven years. It had been seven years since Sasuke's departure from Konoha. Yet many still hoped that the "last loyal" Uchiha would return; mainly the villagers, the council, and the remaining members of the team that had once been Team 7. Two members of Team 7, that is to say Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura were extremely vocal about their belief on Sasuke's return. Even though Hatake Kakashi never mentioned much about his wayward prodigy, it was easy to tell that he too would do everything in his power to bring Sasuke back.

Four years. It had been four years since Naruto returned to Konoha from his three year training trip. Shortly after he had returned, he had been sent on a mission to Suna in order to help them rescue their captured Kazekage. The mission was a success…but only after a Suna elder, Chiyo, gave her life in order to bring the Kazekage back to life.

Three years. It had been three years since Naruto's closest friends and teammates had learned of his burden. It was essential for them to know, Naruto had said. After all, it wouldn't be right for any of them to die at the hands of Akatsuki without knowing why Akatsuki was after him, he had argued. Not a single youth who had learned of his secret hated him for it…at least, not openly.

Two and a half years. It had been two and a half years since Naruto had done what even the Yondaime was unable to do with one of his prized jutsus, the Rasengan. He had created the Fuuton: Rasen Shuriken by combining his wind element with a regular Rasengan. Shortly after he completed it, the Godaime Hokage had declared it an S-Rank Kinjutsu. Just two months later, after extensive training, Naruto had finally created a Fuuton: Rasengan that didn't have the deadly side-effects on the user. The Hokage had declared his Fuuton: Rasengan as a S-Rank jutsu.

Two years. It had been two years since the Godaime Hokage had called Naruto into her office for a special debriefing. He had been called in while he had been training with the so called "The Konoha Eleven" (essentially all the graduating genin teams from his year and Team Gai from the previous year), or as he liked to refer to it, "The Konoha Eleven That Will Soon Be The Konoha Twelve", a name that was entirely too long to be a commonly used name. During his meeting, the rest of "The Konoha Eleven" gathered outside the Hokage's office, desperate to hear what was so important that Naruto was gathered by two Anbu members and forced to leave their training sessions. When Naruto walked out, he was obviously stunned, which was strange because Naruto was rarely stunned for more than a few seconds; whenever he was stunned, he always managed to rebound. Even stranger, was that he refused to tell anyone what the Hokage had told him. From that point on, everyone had started to see less and less of him. When his friends were worried enough, they asked the Hokage who told them that due to his condition, he had to undergo extensive training in order to protect himself and his burden.

One and a half years. It had been one and a half years since bloody skirmishes between Konoha Oto teams had become common occurrences. The Konoha teams usually faired well in these skirmishes, seeing as the Hokage had forced the Academy students to train harder before they were allowed to become Genin…she didn't want to see any Genin die in a war that was inevitable. She also made it a requirement that a team's sensei/leader and at least one other student/teammate had an intermediate grasp on medical techniques.

One year. It had been one year since the Godaime Hokage had decided that a preemptive strike should be launched. Thus, she decided to send out numerous reconnaissance teams to gather as much information as possible, whether it was supply routes, possible alliances, when and where they may attack, or most importantly, the number of shinobi that Oto had. Team Eight was on a reconnaissance mission in early May when things went bad…things went very bad.

----------------------------------

"Oi, Hinata-chan, behind you!" Kiba shouted as he tried to get to Hinata. There was no way he would reach her in time.

'Damn, guess I have no choice…it's my third one since the attack started though...gotta get to her though…' His mind set, he reached into his hip ouch and pulled out a soldier pill. When he popped it into his mouth and chewed, he felt his chakra reserves refill.

Kiba dropped to all fours and ran. The trees in the forest seemed to blur by as he rushed towards Hinata. She was fighting six opponents and was holding them off…for now, anyways. He pushed himself to run faster, ignoring the nausea, the most harmless side-effect of consuming too many soldier pills in short intervals. It was up to him to save Hinata. He was so caught up in his desire to reach Hinata that he didn't see the katana until it was imbedded in his right thigh. Kiba fell to the ground with a grunt.

'There's no way these guys are "bandits". They're way to skilled…ordinary bandits wouldn't be smart enough to separate us into two groups…and keep Akamaru in the other group. They could be mercenaries…but who hired them?' Kiba tried to stand up, but it seemed that his leg wound was worse than he thought. Angrily, he pulled out the katana and threw it at the 'bandit' with a traveler's cloak on who had originally stuck it in him.

The 'bandit' leaned to the side and grabbed the hilt of the speeding katana from out of the air. "Thanks gaki," the bald mercenary said as his lips curved into a smirk.

Kiba paled. He had thrown the katana rather hard and it was moving fast, too fast for a mercenary to catch by the hilt. 'That means…that these guys are definitely not bandits or mercenaries, but shinobi! But from where?' He watched helplessly as the mysterious katana-wielding shinobi walked closer. "Since you were so kind to give me my katana back, I'll make your death quick and painless…well, I'm not quite sure about the quick part…or the painless part for that matter. I've never had my heart stabbed, so I'm not sure how long it'll take you to die or how painful it is."

'Can't…can't summon my chakra…that's what I get for taking too many soldier pills so soon. Is…is this it? Is this how I die? There's still so much more that I wanted to do in life. I never got to become an Oinin like aneue. I never got to tell Hinata…how I really feel about her. NO! It's not the end…not yet, not without a fight.' While Kiba wasn't the smartest shinobi on his team (he was actually only slightly brighter than Akamaru), he was by no means stupid. He knew that his movement was greatly impaired by his leg wound, so he decided to pretend that he had given up. It was the only chance he had of survival. The katana-wielding shinobi walked even closer, his eyes full of blood lust.

"I wonder…do dogs cry?" Kiba froze in horror. Did he…could that shinobi have harmed Akamaru? "I guess I'll find out when I bring that mutt over here to bathe in your blood. If he's a good dog, maybe I'll let him feast on your intestines." Kiba shook with rage…no ONE…would ever demean Akamaru by suggesting that he was anything but loyal to him. He so wanted to attack the mystery shinobi, but he had to wait. He would only have one chance to attack…he had to wait, no matter how much he disliked it.

"Heh…shaking with fear? Pathetic. I thought that shinobi were supposed to be mindless killing machines. Hmmm…instead of having your mutt feast on you…how about I let you live? That way, you'll be able to see my men and me have some fun with that kunoichi over there…what was her name? Ah yes, Hinata. Does that sound fun? Huh, does it? Too happy to answer eh? Well, in that cas…Ooomph!" The shinobi went flying into a tree behind him. Kiba tried to walk over to the shinobi, but he realized that his leg was still injured. He was forced to hobble over to him.

Putting his face right in front of the mysterious shinobi, he growled, "Don't you EVER say anything about Hinata-chan again…especially not those plans of yours. If anyone is going to do anything intimate with her…it'll be ME! Understand?!"

"There's only one thing that I understand…and that's that…you're far too cocky, gaki!" Finishing his sentence, the shinobi plunged his katana deep into Kiba's left leg. This wound seemed to be much worse than the first wound he received. Blood shot out of his wound while Kiba howled and kneeled in pain. The shinobi kicked out, catching Kiba in the head and sent him flying back to where he had first fallen.

"I have to admit, you are better than I expected you to be," the shinobi stated as he walked over. "Your lunge was powerful, but it lacked any real kick to it. Besides, I had this on," taking off his shredded cloak, the mystery man revealed a set of armor, very similar to what samurais wore. He stopped two yards away from Kiba, making sure that he was out of Kiba's range. When he was positive that Kbia couldn't reach him, he lowered his katana and let out a whistle.

Eleven men came to the katana-wielding man's side. The leader of the group, the one that had whistled, looked around in surprise. "That's it? Where's everyone else?"

"Boss, we're all that's left. Mutt-boy over here took out two, and that chick over there took out six."

"Damn. Wait, where is she?"

"We tied her up. See? She's right there, hanging from the branch." Kiba let out a cry of rage as he looked where they were pointing. Hinata's hands were tied behind her back, and it seemed as if she was unconscious.

"Why didn't you kill her?"

"Boss, she's a Hyuuga! We could sell her for a bunch of money! Plus, the boys and I want to have some fun with her."

"Good plan. Let's make Mutt-boy watch us have fun with her. I think he has a thing for her. Tie him up to make sure he doesn't decide to be a hero."

Two of the twelve men managed to tie Kiba up and only received a few scratches. Kiba struggled to break free, but the wires were too strong.

'Damn, this is some quality wire. Even my wires aren't this sturdy! These guys…they aren't ordinary shinobi!'

---------------------------

The twelve men walked up to Hinata and formed a rough half-circle around her. One man reached into his hip pouch and pulled out a small jar of smelling salts. He waved it under Hinata's nose, causing her to stir and eventually become conscious. Her eyes slowly fluttered open.

Her eyes blurrily opened and took in the sight in front of her. An instant later, her still groggy mind registered who was in front of her and her eyes snapped open.

"Glad you're awake Hime. Ready for some fun?" the man who had used the smelling salts finished his statement by reaching out and rubbing her cheeks. "Kami, her skin is as smooth as silk!"

"No! Don't! Please, don't!" Hinata was frightened out of her mind. She had heard of what had happened to kunoichi who had been captured. The stories weren't by any means, a comfort for her.

She had never been in this situation before. Someone had always been there to protect her when she faltered. There had been so many people to protect her-Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, Kurenai-sensei, Naruto-kun, and all of her other friends. Speaking of her teammates, where were they?

She saw a trapped Kiba-kun behind the men. He had probably taken too many soldier pills. Again. She was more worried about the rest of her team though. They had been separated when the attack started. Were they okay?

Before she could continue along on her train of thought, she remembered her predicament. She shut her eyes, hoping that someone would save her. 'Kami-sama, I had so wished to be with Naruto-kun…' Suddenly, Hinata felt a large chakra signature coming from above her.

"Fuuton: Daitoppa," a male voice whispered form above. The twelve men were blown away from Hinata as a large gust of wind hit them.

"What the…who the hell did that?! Show yourself!" the leader shouted.

"If you insist," stated a male voice from the treetops.

Hinata watched amazed as a bright figure blocked out the sun. The figure landed gracefully on the ground; the man looked like an ordinary ANBU member except for one thing-he was wearing a gold cloak. Another oddity was that his hood was up and it was a rather hot day.

The leader managed to find his voice. He was surprised that neither his men nor he were able to sense the ANBU before he attacked them. "I'm pretty sure that's an ANBU mask you're wearing. I may not recognize the animal on it, but it is most definitely a Konoha ANBU mask."

"You are correct. For you r information, it is a fenikkusu (phoenix)."

"A fenikkusu mask eh? Never heard of any ANBU member that had a fenikkusu mask," as he said that, he felt a tugging at the back of his mind, as if he was forgetting something very important. He dismissed it and continued his observations. "You're cloak is obviously gold. What is not obvious though, is why it's gold. As far as I know, there are only two cloak colors that Konoha ANBU members were-black and white," the leader stated confidently. His men started to snicker. This was no ANBU; it was just some fool trying to trick them!

"Your knowledge is only partially correct. Thus, you must be shinobi. Where are your hitai-ates?"

The leader turned to look at his men behind him before turning back to face the ANBU. "Hitai-ates? We ain't got no hitai-ates! We don't need no hitai-ates. I don't have to show you any stinkin' hitai-ates!2" he proclaimed proudly.

Emboldened by their leader's words, the men started to laugh at the oddly clad ANBU. Even Kiba laughed; despite the fact that he wasn't the smartest person on his team, he knew that no ANBU member wore gold cloaks.

Only two people weren't laughing-Hinata and the ANBU member. One wasn't laughing for obvious reasons, and the other because of her bloodline.

Hinata had quickly activated her byakugan when the ANBU had first appeared. All she had seen was a blinding flash of chakra and then noting. She had to stifle a gasp; she knew that the shinobi in front of her was a genuine ANBU member.

Her father had told her of special ANBU cloaks that negated the Hyuuga's byakugan in addition to offering more protection against jutsus and physical attacks. Not all ANBU members received them, only the best were given the rare cloaks. That meant that either the shinobi was an ANBU member or skilled enough to kill a talented ANBU member and take the cloak.

However, his fenikkusu mask was a mystery to her. As far as she knew, all ANBU had their masks modeled after real animals, not legendary animals. She was pulled out of her thoughts as the man who had used the smelling salts on her spoke up.

"Hahaha, gold cloak. What type of fool of a shinobi wears a gold cloak? Baka, that's like wearing a bright orange jumpsuit!"

Hinata frowned; the man had unintentionally insulted Naruto-kun.

"You're not a real ANBU, are you?" Egged on by his comrades' laughter, the man continued. "I bet you still hide behind your father when you get scared, huh?" Hinata was the only one who noticed the ANBU member tense up. "You still go to your mama when you get hurt? Does she…"

The rest of the men waited for him to finish. The leader looked behind him. "Gin, finish your damn sentence, you're getting to the good part! Gin? Gin?!" In Gin's spot…was nothing. The leader turned back to face the ANBU member.

"You! What did you…show yourself, damn it!" Where the ANBU had once stood was nothing except for the tied up Hyuuga. He cautiously checked the wires restraining the girl.

"Good, you're still tied up. Guess we still get to have some fun boys. You all ready?" Once again, the leader received no replies. He slowly turned around; his eyes widened as he realized that all of his men were gone.

"Show yourself you damn coward!" A golden blur to his left caught his eye. He turned to face it and saw the ANBU.

"You…where are my men?!"

"Do you really need to ask that question? They harmed a Konoha shinobi and all of you were threatening to steal the innocence of a Konoha kunoichi. To make it worse, it was the innocence of the Hyuuga heiress you were threatening! Thus, they had to be dealt with accordingly. Don't worry, you'll soon join them."

The leader felt fear overtaking his mind. If the ANBU had indeed killed his men, of which he had little doubt of, then he had no chance of survival.

"I see you have a sword. Show me how well you can wield it! Prepare yourself!" Not a second after the ANBU finished his statement, he charged.

'So fast! I can barely keep up with his movements!' The leader barely managed to raise his sword in time to block the incoming slash; his sword and his entire arm shook. 'Fast and strong, I could barely block it!'

"If you continue this particular style of combat, you will not win. Should you wish to have a chance of victory, you will drop the façade that Orochimaru told you to put up."

"F-façade? I d-don't know what you're talking about!" He charged the ANBU, attempting to find an opening in his opponent's guard. Unfortunately, he didn't find a single flaw in the ANBU's stance.

Kiba was stunned. He didn't know how the ANBU had come to that conclusion. What tied the mysterious shinobi to Orochimaru? Surely, if there was any connection between the two, his team would've spotted it; they were a reconnaissance team after all; they were practically made for figuring out stuff like this!

On the other hand, Hinata was not surprised. When they had first been attacked, she knew that the 'bandits' were shinboi. tHe only hidden village of the three that had grudges against Konoha (Iwa, Kumo, and Oto), only Oto was brave enough to attack a Konoha team in Fire Country.

"Still refuse to use jutsu? In that case…"

"Aaaahhhh!" blood gushed out of a stump that had once been the leader's left arm.

"What will you do now? Even if you wanted to use jutsus, you are unable to now…unless you can do one-handed seals, which I highly doubt."

'Kuso…I guess I have no choice but to use it. Please forgive me Orochimaru-sama…'

------------------------------------

'The hell is going on! His chakra levels are increasing!' Kiba was amazed. Even when he used his soldier pills, his chakra had never shot up this high.

After seeing the shinobi use the cursed seal, Hinata knew that her suspicion of the shinobi's origin was correct. Even though she had never seen a cursed seal, Neji nii-san had told her of it in case she ever encountered one.

"Level one will not improve your chances of victory. I suggest that you go to level two," the ANBU calmly stated. To prove his point, he charged forward undetected and stabbed the Oto-shinobi in the leg.

The Oto-shinobi grabbed his leg in pain. 'He's right; I'm no match for him right now. I need to go to level two!'

Kiba was yet again stunned. By now he had recognized the similarities between this guy and the two that he had fought years ago. 'But this power…it's much stronger than those guys.' His eyes widened in horror as he saw the transformation take place.

An enormous surge of chakra erupted around the Oto-shinobi. Instead of regular chakra, this charkas was tainted; it felt evil and meancing.

When the chakra disperced, it seemed as if the shinobi had gone from being human to part lion. His skin was a dark purple and he grew hair which formed a giant mane with eight inch spikes integrated every few inches in it. His left arm regenerated; both hands were replaced with claws. He grew a tail, or rather three tails. Each one had a spiked tip at the end. His entire body rippled with muscles.

"This…this is incredible! So much power! There's no way you can beat me now!" raved the Oto-shinobi.

"That…remains to be seen."

Hinata was worried. To be honest, she worried a lot. This time though, she was extremely worried for ht eANBU. Even thought hey had never met (at least, she didn't think they had. ANBU members tended to keep their personal lives separate form their ANBU lives), she felt very attached to him fro some reason. Perhaps it was because he had save her form a fate far worse than death.

"Take this!" the Oto-shinobi made an upward slashing movement with his right arm. Five blades of chakra flew towards the ANBU. Just as the ANBU dove to the right, he noticed five more blades of chakra coming towards him.

'Kuso, I didn't expect him to be able to do jutsu without hand seals! I hope my sword can bock these blades!' the ANBU thought as he raised his sword. He struggled to keep his sword stead as he blocked each chakra attack. He sighed in relieve after the attacke ended and his sword was still intact.

"You don't have time to let your guard down!" shouted the Oto-shinobi as the spikes in his mane flew towards the ANBU. The ANBU dove to his left as the spikes headed to his right. Right before hitting the ground harmlessly, the spikes made a tight right turn and impaled the ANBU's right leg.

'Kuso, I can't feel my right leg, he must've got a lucky shot in! To make it worse, the spikes went right through my leg and into the ground!'

------------------------------

Kiba scoffed at the turn of events. 'Heh, I knew he wasn't a real ANUB member. If he was, he wouldn't have let his guard down after those spikes were launched. What a loser! Besides, a real ANBU member wouldn't have a gold cloak…unless it was Nartuo! Ha, what a joke, Naruto in ANBU! He'd never qualify for ANBU. Only people from major clans can make it in, not orphan demon-brats!'

Hinata almost shrieked with fright. She knew that the ANBU could have avoided the attack. She had seen him get ready to dodge, but then he suddenly stopped moving. She couldn't figure out why he stopped.

"Hah hah, not so tough now, are you?" taunted the shinobi as he approached the immobile ANBU. "Before I kill you, I'll make you and Mutt-boy watch me as I have some fun with the Hyuuga. Then I'll kill Mutt-boy then you. If the Hyuuga is a good lay, then I'll keep her as my little toy. What a good pla…the hell is that?!"

Hinata's eyes shot open in amazement. Behind the ANBU was a golden fenikkusu composed of what had to be chakra. She didn't even want to think of how much chakra it took to form.

Kiba was not as impressed. Had he been from a clan that dealt more with chakra rather than scent, or had Akamaru been with him, then his attitude would have been much different. 'Feh, pretty fancy genjutsu for someone about to die.'

The Oto-shinobi was terrified. He had never felt so frightened before, not even when he had faced the wrath of Sasuke-sama and Orochimaru-sama. He knew he was going to die; he knew that he didn't have a chance to survive. Suddenly, he realized who he was fighting. It all made sense. The nagging feeling he had felt earlier had been his subconscious trying to warn him. The speed that his men were taken out with, the superb kenjutsu skills, and the feeling of death caused by the fenikkusu.

"You…you're Konoha's Shikyo no Fenikkusu (Phoenix of Death), aren't you!" it was more of a statement than a question. "The leader of Konoha's Kuro Mizu (Darkest Water)!"

This time, both Hinata and Kiba were confused. Neither had heard of the Kuro Mizu, much less the Shikyo no Fenikkusu. Why had they not heard of either, yet they were both from Konoha?

"You are correct."

The Oto-shinobi was terrified. Now that he thought about it, he had heard tales of what had happened to any enemy of Konoha that faced the Kuro Mizu-the only thing the Kuro Mizu left behind was death. It was said that they were far more ruthless than any other Konoha ANBU, even the Black-Ops.

"Please, don't kill me! I…I can get you money, lots of it! Please, have mercy!"

Even though Hinata couldn't see the ANBU's face, she was sure that he was scowling.

"Mercy? Is mercy what you were about to show to Hyuuga-san and Inuzuka-san? Is mercy what you showed to that Genin team that you came across last week?"

'H-how the hell does he know about that?' "I..I don't know what you're talking about!" The Oto-shinobi was scared witless. He had heard that the Kuro Mizu had little tolerance for anyone who harmed Genin or children.

"There's no point in lying. As soon as I first found your and your men, I recognized your scents. They were the same as the ones left where I found the Genin team. So, how many of your men had to use your cursed seal to kill them? Don't lie now, I tested their Jounin sensei during his test, and he was tough; he would have fought twice as hard to protect his team," the ANBU stated glaring at the shinobi from his position on the ground.

For a reason that he couldn't comprehend, the Oto-shinobi decided to tell the truth. "E-eight of us. F-four of my men had to go to level two to kill the sensei. We took the other Jounin kunoichi back to our camp!"

"And why is that? So you could have fun with her?"

The shinobi gulped; no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't find a good way to say 'Yes' and expect to live. It was said that the one thing that enraged the Kuro Mizu the most was the mistreatment of women and girls. Maybe, just maybe he might live if he played his cards right.

"Y-yes, but you would've too if you had seen her! She has such nice black hair, nice and short and smooth, so very smooth. Plus, her skin is nice and smooth and just perfectly tanned. Plus, she has a really nice rack! Believe me, you would've wanted her too!"

"You're right, I would've wan…"

Before the Shikyo no Fenikkusu could finish his statement, the Oto-shinobi interrupted him. He could see his chances of survival increasing! All he had to do was to make a deal with the Shikyo no Fenikkusu.

Kiba found that he started to like the ANBU. After all, any girl with nice hair was a beauty in his book; fine hair was like a dog with a fine coat, everybody wanted the dog with a great coat.

He wondered if he could blackmail the ANBU with what he had just heard. If he was lucky, maybe he would let him have a go with the Jounin. He would have to borrow the mask though, in order to make sure that the Jounin wouldn't see his face. He was literally drooling with excitement.

Hinata was disgusted. She couldn't believe that her saviour, someone who she had suddenly began to hold in very high regard (just under Naruto-kun and her teammates), turned out to be a perverted scumbag. If she could have, she would have attacked the ANBU for giving her false hope and for being a perverted scumbag.

The Oto-shinobi knew that he was saved. There was no way he would be killed now. He smiled as he stated, "It's nice to know that not all Konoha shinobi are damn tree-hugging chivalrous fags. Since you let me live, I'll let you have fist go at the kunoichi. I'm pretty sure that she's a virgin, so you can be the lucky guy to deflower her! How's that sou-Aaahhh!"

The Shikyo no Fenikkusu had managed to pull out one of the spikes from his leg and threw it at the man's foot, effectively rendering him immobile.

"The hell are you doing man?! I thought we had a deal!"

"Deal? There was never a deal."

"But…but you said you wanted to bone the kunoichi!" the Oto-shinobi could feel the panic start to rise up again. He didn't want to die, not yet!

"No, you cut me off. If you had let me finish, you would have heard me say, 'You're right, I would've wanted her to be safe.' Cutting me off was a mistake. You should be thankful that we found the captured kunoichi alive, well, and untouched. Had you raped her, then you would die a very painful death."

'No, I can't die! Not now, not when I was just promoted!' "Please, have mercy! That's what Konoha stands for right? Mercy and second chances? You can't kill me in cold-blood, that would be…unethical! Would you stoop to my level just to kill me? Would yo…" the rest of his sentence was cut off as blood flowed out of the hole made by a second spike stuck in his throat.

The Shikyo no Fenikkusu lowered his voice until all those around him could barely hear him whisper, "Yes. Yes I would stoop to your level to kill you. Our reasons for killing however, are different. I kill for justice while you kill for fun…you are worse than trash!"

Seconds later, the life ebbed away as enough blood gushed out of the wound to end the man's life. The battle was finally over.

---------------------------------

Kiba was pissed. First, he had overdosed on soldier pills to save Hinata, failed, got tied up, was ready to have some fun with a mysterious beauty, had that dream shattered, and then had to be saved by some loser of an ANBU. Worse, he was humiliated in front of his Hinata-chan.

"Oi, I still don't believe that you're a real ANBU member!" Kiba had to try to salvage his pride however he could. Normally, he would've blamed Akamaru for being incompetent or getting in his way, but he wasn't here. He couldn't blame Hinata-chan, otherwise he would never get in his pants, so he decided to vent on the only person left-the ANBU.

"Kiba-kun, be polite! He saved our lives! He defeated those that we couldn't, which means that he is more skilled than we are. The ease with which he disposed of them proves that he is an ANBU."

"Feh, if he was an ANBU then he wouldn't be stuck now would he? Besides, ANBU always travel in squads. Where's his squad now, huh?" 'Finally, I got him cornered! Now Hinata-chan can see that I can think too, not just fight!'

Hinata hated to admit it, but Kiba-kun was right about the ANBU's squad. ANBU always traveled in squads of at least four. Maybe he had been separated from his squad; after all, the same had happened to her team right now. She was about to ask the ANBU if he knew where his squad was when the ANBU let out two short whistles.

Instantly, five more ANBU members appeared. These ANBU members were also different than the regular ANBU; their cloaks were not black and white. Just like the other ANBU, they had their hoods on. The injured ANBU on the ground made a signal with his hand, and the ANBU wearing a lizard mask and a green cloak approached him while an ANBU wearing a monkey mask and a gray cloak and an ANBU wearing a rhino mask and an orange cloak walked towards Kiba and Hinata respectively. The other two, one with a jaguar mask and a beige cloak and one with a wolf mask and silver cloak took to the trees once again.

The lizard ANBU knelt next to the immobile ANBU and made a few hand seals. As her hands started to glow green with medical chakra, she placed them over the general area of the spikes and made an upward movement. The spikes slowly lifted them out of the ANBU's leg.

While the monkey mask ANBU untied Kiba, the rhino mask ANBU cut the wire around Hinata, who winced as she felt the circulation return to her hands. Her eyes were focused on the injured ANBU; the spikes that were removed were covered in blood and the wounds they left behind must have hurt a lot. Again, she had to wonder why the ANBU didn't dodge the spikes. She finally came to the conclusion that he had made a mistake. It made sense to her; after all, her life had been full of mistakes and failures. Up until recently, she hadn't had that many successes in her life. She wanted to go up to the ANBU and tell him to stand tall, and even though life may seem to be horrible it will look up…eventually. However, she couldn't muster the courage to say that to him.

"Commander, why didn't you dodge the spikes? I know you could've. Hell, you could've destroyed them if you wanted to!" the lizard mask ANBU had to ask. She didn't want her commander not to worry about getting injured just because she was here to heal him!

"Tokage-chan (lizard), think about it. We've encountered shinobi with these spikes before. You know just as well as I do how hard they are to destroy. I would have had to used a very powerful A-rank ninjutsu to destroy it, which would also have harmed the two other Konoha shinobi in the area. While I would survive the damage, I doubt they would. If I had dodged or deflected them from where I am, then at least one of the spikes would've hit either Hyuuga-san or Inuzuka-san."

Hinata finally understood why he didn't dodge. It wasn't because he couldn't; it was because he didn't want to. She was happy to know that this man was an ANBU; he certainly deserved the rank, he was definitely skilled enough.

"Fenikkusu-san, arigato for saving my teammate and me…as well as protecting my innocence. Sai-san (rhinoceros), arigato for cutting me down," Hinata was not only obligated, but wanted to thank the mysterious ANBU members for saving her life and her innocence. The Fenikkusu ANBU nodded his head as he stood up.

"Feh, it was nothing. Wasn't like we weren't in the area or anything. Besides, commander would've made us help you guys, even if we weren't in the area. He always helps out Konoha teams whenever he can. He's a big softy despite his reputat-Owwww! Commander, what was that for?!"

"For calling me soft Sai-chan."

Before Sai could retort, Kiba interrupted. "Feh, what are you guys, are freakin' rainbow? What type of idiots wear bright cloaks?!"

Hinata sighed. No matter how many years had passed, Kiba was still as tactless as he was when he graduated from the Academy. Worse, he had gotten even more arrogant as his skills and rank improved. It was a common occurrence for him to get in over his head due to his overconfidence. She was about to apologize for her teammate's words when the monkey-masked ANBU approached him and hit him on the head…hard. Hinata could see the bump forming on his head.

"That's for insulting us damn mutt! Think before you talk next time. Better yet, think before you attack because next time, I'm not gonna save your ass!" the ape masked ANBU yelled.

"Saru-kun (monkey), calm yourself. We have better things to do than argue with Chuunin."

"How the hell do you know we're Chuunin? You freakin' stalkers or something?!"

All the ANBU members present just stared at him while Hinata sighed and covered her eyes with her face. Sometimes, Kiba-kun was so embarrassing.

"Hah, can't think of a good answer, huh?"

"Have you looked at your vest recently?" Fenikkusu stated calmly.

"Ya, what about it?"

"It's a Chuunin vest."

"Ya so wha…oh." 'Damn it, there they go again, humiliating me in front of my Hinata-chan! I'll get them back!'

"Commander, the rest are on their way. They'll be here in thirty seconds," stated the jaguar mask ANBU from a tree branch.

"Arigato for the update Jaga-kun (jaguar)."

"Feh, I didn't need your help! If my ninken (ninja dog), Akamaru, hadn't been so incompetent, then he would've been by my side and we would've beat those guys into dust!"

"Typical Inuzuka. Always so arrogant and dependant upon their ninken! All of your clan's ninken must be incompetent then, because every time any Inuzuka mess up it's because of their ninken's incompetent skills, not theirs!" ranted the wolf mask ANBU from a branch opposite of the other ANBU in the other tree.

"Ookami-chan (wolf), that's enough!"

"No it isn't! Don't you recognize him? He's going to lead his clan one day, and if we manage to make him learn that he has to improve his skills and not just his ninken, then maybe the Inuzuka clan won't be dead weight and we won't have to save them all the time. Why is it that whenever we save a team, ninety percent of the time there'll be an Inuzuka on the team?!"

"Regardless, it is not our place to change their ways. If they want to stay that way, then it is not our place to change that."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this!"

"You will stop arguing now. We have company."

Hinata and Kiba both tensed. Neither were ready for combat, not so soon. Hinata was still trying to get the numbness out of her hands, and Kiba still couldn't summon his chakra. Suddenly, Kiba was tackled to the ground, unable to move.

'C-can't breathe…Can't believe I'm getting humiliated…again!'

------------------------------------

Suddenly, Kiba could breathe again. He looked around him, to see who had saved him. Much to his displeasure, it was the Fenikkusu who had saved him…again.

"You shouldn't have such a big ninken if you can't control him," the Fenikkusu stated.

"Akamaru! Bad boy! Don't jump on me when I'm injured!" Kiba couldn't believe that his dog was stupid enough to jump on him when he was still injured.

"Kiba-kun, don't be so harsh. Akamaru here had his fair share of combat with us," Kurenai-sensei scolded. Kiba managed to look ashamed.

"Kurenai-sensei, Shino-kun, Akamaru-kun, you're all alright!" Hinata shouted. She was ecstatic that her team was fine.

"Of course we're fine Hinata-chan, you didn't think that those shinobi disguised as bandits could beat us, did you?"

"Kurenai-sensei, I believe that she did. Judging from their appearance, I believe that they were having trouble defeating their opponents. It would seem that Hinata-san and Kiba-san had to be rescued by the ANBU," Shino calmly stated.

"Hmm, I guess you're right Shino-kun. Oh well, I'm sure you two will do better the next time around. We'll just have to add in some more training sessions," Kurenai stated.

Hinata just nodded, she knew that their performance had been lacking. They were lucky that the ANBU were nearby and managed to save them. Kiba however, was outraged.

"Extra practices?! We're already up to our ears in practices! I'm sick and tired of them! You've given us too many already! The only reason that we lost was because we were dead tired from all the practices you have us do, Kureani-sensei! Right, Hinata-chan?"

Kureani was angry. She knew that her Inuzuka student got into a bad mood whenever he performed badly on a mission or had to be saved. For some reason, he was in an even worse mood today. However, that did not excuse his lack of respect.

"Ano…Kiba-kun, we haven't had a practice in a few days. The last practice was two days before our mission, which would make it five days since we last practiced. I agree with Kurenai-sensei, we should never have been in this position. This just goes to show why we are not Jounin yet," Hinata stated.

"I can't believe that you're not backing me up! Don't tell me that you want to have more practices!"

"I don't want to have more practices, but judging from today's performance, we need them. I may not like it, but we have to have them! I don't want to have to save you all the time!"

Hinata's entire team was surprised. "Hinata-chan…do you realize that during your entire rant you didn't stutter once?"

"W-what d-did you say K-kurenai-sensei?"

'And here I was, thinking that her stuttering was gone.' "Never mind. I think it's time that we get going. We have to reach Konoha; the sooner the better."

"Not yet Kurenai-sensei! We should find out who these frauds are! Maybe they're nuke-nin, and they killed some real ANBU for the masks. We should capture them and bring them in for questioning! We might even get a promotion…"

"Kiba! Stop being an idiot! These are genuine ANBU members! What makes you think that they're frauds!"

"Look at their cloaks Kurenai-sensei! When have you ever seen colored cloaks like that? My aneue is an ANBU, and she has a black cloak. She told me that the only cloaks are black and white! There's no way that these rainbow freaks are ANBU!"

"Kiba, you will listen to me! They are GENUINE ANBU! Now enough of this foolish talk, we need to get back to Konoha!" Kurenai was quickly losing her patience. They had vital information, and they didn't have the luxury of arguing.

"But Kurenai-sensei, don't you know how much money we could get for bringing these frauds in! It's illegal for shinobi to pose as an ANBU member; we get a share of the fine that they have to pay if we bring them in! Damn, how the hell did you become a Jounin woman? This is why woman need men to tell them what to do!"

-----------------------------

Silence reigned. Nobody spoke; even the birds stopped chirping. The temperature in the clearing in the forest seemed to drop by a hundred degrees.

Shino sighed. He had always known that one of these days his rash teammate would die because of his mouth. He had just never expected his teammate to be killed by his sensei.

Hinata was stunned. She knew how frustrated Kiba-kun had been, but she had never expected him to go as far as to insult Kurenai-sensei AND imply that she was inferior because she was a woman.

Half of the ANBU members just stood there, but when Hinata looked at them closely, she could see their shoulder slightly shaking with laughter. But who were they laughing at, Kiba-kun or Kurenai-sensei?

The other half, the half that Hinata realized were female, were shaking with rage. It seemed that they didn't appreciate Kiba insulting females.

Kiba was still caught up in his rant. He realized that he had insulted his sensei, but he had to make his point. "Kurenai-sensei, you're a woman, and as such you have no sense of money. It's a fact, everybody knows that you let men handle the money otherwise you'll lose all your money. Look, I know what I'm talking about. Let's take these fools back to Konoha, and we'll split the money. You can use it to buy a nice dress or something and then go on a nice date with Asuma-sensei, Shino can use his share to…I dunno go to a bar or something, and I'll use my share to bring Hinata-chan on a nice date! How's that sou-"

Instantly, Sai was behind Kiba holding two swords, one across his neck and the other pointed towards his family jewels. "I've heard enough out of you! You should realize that women can be just as powerful as men, if not more! Hokage-sama is a woman, would you like me to write down everything you said in the mission report and turn it in to her?"

Kiba paled. In his rant, he had forgotten that the Hokage was female. He decided that the only way to get free was to show the woman who was boss!

"Bah, like the old hag could do anything to me. She's drunk all the time I bet you she sells herself on the street for money to get sake!" Kiba started laughing at his joke, but he before he could finish laughing, he was thrown into a tree. As he looked for who had thrown him, he saw Tokage walking towards him.

"Don't you ever talk like that about Hokage-sama! If you do, I'll kill you!"

Kiba was about to yell at the fake ANBU for throwing an injured shinobi, but he suddenly felt cold all over. 'This feeling…is this killing intent?! It's so powerful, I've never felt anything as strong as this!' He looked for the source and realized that it was coming from the so called leader of the rainbow group.

"You would do well to heed Tokage-chan's advice Inuzuka-san. Talk like that could be considered treason. You would be sent for a session with Morino-san. Before that though…you would have to undergo a session with me. And trust me you don't want to do that. Hokage-sama is one of the people that I hold in extremely high regard, and as such I have killed others for much less than what you have just done."

Suddenly, Kiba could move again. He could feel the warmth spreading throughout his body. Just as quickly as his courage left, it returned. 'What a pussy, he didn't even kill me when he had the chance! If I could use my chakra, I would kill him!'

"You're letting him off to easy Commander."

"Maybe I am Ookami-chan, maybe I am. However, we need to go. Kurenai-san, I believe you have a scroll that belonged to Orochimaru?"

"H-how did you know?"

"You have not been the only team spying on Oto. We were preparing to launch an attack on one of the outposts when they received word that a scroll of vital importance had been stolen and all shinobi were required to set forth and find it. My squad and I decided to follow one group that happened to lead to you."

"What do you want with the scroll?"

"The same thing you want. I will have my fastest member, Jaga-kun, deliver it to Konoha. He can get there in under an hour while I believe it would take two hours for your team to deliver it in their prime. As they are now…I believe it would take close to three hours. Hokage-sama must receive the scroll; Orochimaru must not be allowed to regain possession of it."

"Very well, here you go," Kurenai said before handing the scroll to the Fenikkusu.

"I appreciate your cooperation," he said before making a hand sign causing Jaga to jump down from the branches.

Before Jaga could leave, he was interrupted by Kiba.

"Wait a second! Why are you letting them take it?!"

"Kiba, I've had enough of your outbursts! We will take about this when we are back in Konoha…along with your punishment for your insubordination!"

"Kurenai-sensei, you don't understand! Even if they are actual ANBU, we won't get credit or the bonus for bringing that scroll in!"

"Don't worry about it Mutt-boy. You and your team will get the credit and the bonus for bringing the scroll in. I'll deliver it so fast that the only person that'll see me bring it in will be Hokage-sama. Hell, even the gate guards won't know that I entered! I'm speedy man!" Jaga was practically jumping up and down in anticipation for the journey that was just about to begin.

"Shut up! How can we trust you?! For all I know, you could take half of the bonus and none of us would know!"

"I've had enough of you're rant boy! Prepare for a world of pain!" Ookami said as she reached behind her back. Kiba tensed; he hated when his opponents did this, he never knew what type of weapon would be brought out. He laughed when he saw what she pulled out.

"A bow?! Are you serious?! Only bandits and villagers use bows! Even Academy students know better than that, they use kunai and shuriken instead of b-" Kiba's sentence was cut off as he jumped back, in order to avoid the arrow that landed where his foot was just a second ago.

"Are you crazy?! That almost hit me you idiot!"

"That was the point fool! Prepare yourself!" As Ookami raised her bow to let loose another arrow, Fenikkusu stepped in between Kiba and Ookami.

"That's enough. We will not kill any Konoha shinobi."

"But Commander, you heard what he said, about woman and Hokagae-sama! He can't be allowed to live with what he said!"

"We will not kill a Konoha shinobi unless said shinobi is a nuke-nin, do you understand?"

"This has gone on for long enough. I'm tired of listening to you! I challenge you for your position as Commander of the Kuro Mizu!"

Fenikkusu froze. "Insubordination? About time, I have been waiting for this moment for quite a while now. Well then, prepare yourself for battle!"

-----------------------------------------

Hinata froze. Sure she had seen teammates argue before and even engage in scuffles, but she had never seen anybody, much less an ANBU, challenge the leader for their position. She didn't know what to do.

Kurenai and Shino were just as stunned as Hinata was. To join ANBU, one had to be extremely close to one's teammate; one requirement was that commands had to be issued and followed by using only body language. Neither knew what to do.

Kiba was the only member of Team Eight that was excited. 'A fight is perfect! After one is killed, I'll go in and finish the survivor! I'll have to be promoted for that!'

Fenikkusu gathered a large amount of chakra while Ookami pointed her bow at him. Hinata wondered why Ookami hadn't drawn an arrow…for that fact she didn't see a quiver anywhere. Was it under her cloak?

Suddenly, Ookami turned around and fired an arrow into the distance.

"Hah, what a typical woman. No sense of direction. In case you didn't know, you missed your target!" Kiba was overjoyed. He had finally seen one of the ANBU members make a mistake.

Fenikkusu raised his right hand, made a fist, and brought his arm down so that it pointed towards where the arrow had gone. Instantly, all six ANBU members were gone.

"The hell is going on?!" Kiba shouted, "I wanted to see a fight!"

Suddenly, Jaga came running back into the clearing. "Oi, you lot, stay right here, okay? We'll be back in a jiffy…or at least I will! The rest of my squad will probably be back in three jiffies. Actually, Commander, that's Fenikkusu-san to you, will be back in one and a half jiffies, he's pretty fast. Of couse, he's not as fast as me, but then again, who is? Well, I gotta get going. See you in a jiffy!" That being said, Jaga turned around and went back towards the area he had originally left for.

"Jaga-san…is a truly peculiar individual," Shino stated.

The others could only nod in agreement with him.

"Ano…w-what and h-how l-l-long is a 'j-j-iffy'?" Hinata asked.

"Hinata-chan, a 'jiffy' is…Actually, I don't know how long a 'jiffy' is. Why don't we ask Jaga-san when he comes back?" stated Kurenai who was just as confused as her students in regards to a 'jiffy'.

-------------------------------

Roughly five minutes later, Jaga came back to the clearing where he had left Team Eight. "Well, finished what we had to do. If you're lucky, maybe the Big Cheese will let you see the trophy we got!"

Fenikkusu dropped out of a tree and hit Jaga on the head. "Jaga-kun, if you don't shut your mouth we might as well tell them all about our squad! What part of 'discretion' didn't you understand?"

Jaga rubbed his head with his right hand. "Damn Commander that really hurt! With all that we're doing, it's only a matter of time before people find out about us! Where's the harm in letting these little Chuunins and Jounin know what we do? Besides, they'll go and tell all of their friends about us and the legend of Kuro Mizu will grow! Who knows, maybe we'll get action figures made of us!"

At this point, Fenikkusu was thinking of what Jaga had just said. 'Hmmm, action figures would be nice. I wonder how much of a profit we would get from the sales. But it would be weird to walk down the street and see kids playing with me…' He was brought out of his thoughts as he heard Jaga continue.

"I can see it now, parents all over rushing to the stores to buy actions figures of the twelve members of Kuro Mizu for their kids for Christmas…only to be disappointed as they realize that their children's favorite member, The Speedy Jaga-sama, is sold out. They start imagining the disappointed look on their children's face when they have to play with the strict old Fenikkusu or the blood thirsty Sai or any other uncool member of Kuro Mizu!" Jaga started nodding his head as he agreed with himself.

Fenikkusu just stared at Jaga. "You? Since when have you ever been called 'The Speedy Jaga-sama'?"

Jaga just scratched the back of his head. "Eh…about an eighth of a jiffy a go! But hey, who really cares about when I got my nickname huh? All that matters is how cool it sounds and the sales…and the women. Man, women will flock to me once I get an action figure made!"

Kiba fumed. Why did this nutcase get to talk about women and get away with it when he couldn't?! He turned to look at Kurenai-sensei and Hinata-chan to see their reactions. To his surprise, they were both smiling and shaking their heads.

"Before you ask that question, you should know that we let Jaga-kun get away with it because he is joking. It's true that he's a ladies man and that he goes to bed with a different woman every week, but he respects woman. You could take a lesson from him about respecting the opposite gender…as well as lessons in other things," stated Ookami as she walked into the clearing, still holding her bow in her left hand.

Jaga started sputtering. "H-hey, you take that back!"

"What?" Ookami was confused, which part did he not like?

"The part about me going to bed with a different woman every week!"

"It's not true?" 'Maybe…just maybe he finally started to grow up and mature a bit…Kami-sama, if he's as mature as I hope he is then I wouldn't mind dating him!'

"Of course it's not true!" Ookami started to smile, though no one could see. Her smile disappeared after she heard what he said next. "Do you think I'm a Genin? Sheesh, going to bed with a different woman every week. I got to bed with a different woman every two days, got it?!"

Ookami's right eye started to twitch, though no one could see it. She started to raise her bow, but was stopped when Fenikkusu spoke up.

"Stow it, save your lover's quarrel for later, I'll even buy you guys a room," Jaga and Ookami started sputtering loud for everyone to hear. "Get ready to leave, the others are on their way now."

Jaga turned to look at the members of Team Eight.

"See? I told you I would be back in a jiffy, Commander would be back in one and a half jiffies, and the others in three jiffies. Well, I guess Ookami-chan got back in two jiffies, but who's counting?"

"Ano…Jaga-san, w-what i-is a 'j-jiffy'?" asked Hinata.

"Ah, a fine question coming from a fine lady such as yourself," Jaga stated, earning him a blush from the Hyuuga. Kiba started to growl. How dare that imposter make a move on his Hinata-chan!

"Aah, excuse me I didn't know you two were lovers! In fact, I thought quite the opposite considering the signs! Tell me Hyuuga-san, how long have you two been dating?"

"Ano…w-we a-aren't d-d-dating."

"Hmm…hear that Mutt? You two aren't dating! Now take a hint, and leave the poor girl alone! Sheesh, if I had a stalker like you for a teammate, I would ask to be transferred to another team! Have you tried that yet?" receiving a shake of her head as an answer, Jaga continued. "Well, I guess you're right. After all, at least when you're on the same team you get the chance to beat his head in during spars, eh?"

Kurenai just stared at the talkative ANBU member. She had never seen an ANBU that was so talkative before. Normally most ANBU were silent and serious, which was understandable due to the nature of their job. Kurenai didn't even want to think of how she would act if she was forced to kill on a daily basis. Before he could get distracted by another topic, she decided to ask him to answer Hinata's question.

"Ano Jaga-san, if you don't mind, would you kindly answer the question?"

Fenikkusu and Ookami's shoulders shook with barely restrained mirth, though Shino was the only one who noticed. The other three members of his team were busy staring at Jaga, waiting for his answer.

"Hmm…well you see, that's kinda hard to explain. A jiffy is…well, it's as short or as long as I want it to be!"

All the members of Team Eight had to face-fault while Fenikkusu and Ookami just shooke their heads in amusement.

--------------------------------------------

Just a minute later, the rest of the ANBU members arrived. However, this time there were six additional members, all wearing different colored cloaks, all with their hoods on.

If Hinata was correct, then this squad consisted of twelve shinobi; regular squads were usually made up of four shinobi. This squad could've been created this large just for one mission, but she doubted that because all the shinobi were acting like one large unit, not like three squads just put together. For some reason, some of the regular ANBU rules didn't seem to apply to this squad, such as the size of the squad and the color of the cloaks.

"Damn, so this really is the rainbow squad!" Kiba shouted. He was beyond pissed. There were twelve of these freaks now.

"This is the fool you were talking about Tokage-chan?" asked an ANBU wearing a dragon mask.

"Hai," came the simple reply from the iryo-nin.

"Okay, enough chit-chat we need to get back to Konoha twice as fast now that we have…additional items that Hokage-sama needs to have," stated Fenikkusu. "The original plan still stands, but we will add on to it. Jaga-kun, you're taking both scrolls now," as he said that, he handed Jaga two scrolls. One scroll was the one that Kurenai had given him, and the other was a new one.

Before he could continue giving out his orders, an explosion went off in the distance. All the ANBU members looked at their leader awaiting his orders while Team Eight tried to judge where the explosion came from.

"East…three and a half miles. Two of them," Fenikkusu calmly stated.

"Kuso, who do you think they are?" questioned an ANBU with an elephant mask.

"I have a guess Zou-kun (elephant), but this means we have to change our plan. We can't leave Team Eight or the Jounin we rescued here. They need to be taken back to Konoha before the fighting starts. We will split up into two groups."

Kiba was about to protest that order. He didn't want to be sent back to Konoha when he could fight. He would show them all how great of a fighter Inuzuka Kiba was! Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Saru came behind him and punched him into a tree.

"Saru-kun, you could've just hit a pressure point," stated Fenikkusu.

"Ya, but this was so much more fun. Besides, this way, he'll stay unconscious for the entire ride back to Konoha," Saru stated in order to defend his actions.

"True, but now he's dead weight. Since the two intruders aren't the ones that I would like to have Jaga-kun and you fight, you get to carry Inuzuka-san. Congratulations!"

Saru just muttered under his breathe about how unfair it was that he had to carry a mutt when he had done everyone a favor. Fenikkusu smiled before getting serious once more.

"Don't worry, Inuzuka-san is not the only member of Team Eight that will be carried. In fact, all members of Team Eight will be carried," Fenikkusu stated. He could tell that Team Eight's sensei was about to speak up, so he cut her off. "Yuuhi-san, I am in no ways implying that your team is too weak after that skirmish to return to Konoha, but it is imperative that you and your team make it to the safety of Konoha as quickly as possible. The opponents we are about to face are extremely deadly and ruthless. Should we fail to defeat them, then I have no doubt that you and your team will be killed. Therefore, I will delegate half of my squad to ensure the safety of your team."

He could tell that she still wanted to argue, so he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "No doubt you are wondering why you must run and why I am afraid of only two men correct?" Receiving a small nod in affirmative, he continued, "These two are members of Akatsuki. Could your team stand against the power of two S-Ranked nuke-nins?" Seeing her pale, Fenikkusu decided that he had her convinced.

"Right, back to business. Saru-kun you're carrying Inuzuka-san…and you're strong enough to carry his ninken right? Anyways, just tie him to your back or something, it doesn't really matter, just as long as you carry him. Wani-chan (crocodile) you're carrying Yuuhi-san, Feretto-chan (ferret) you're carrying Hyuuga-san, Tora-kun (tiger) you're carrying Aburame-san, Fukuro-chan (owl) you're carrying the Jounin we rescued, and Jaga-kun you're carrying the scrolls. Doragon-kun (dragon) you're the back up for those carrying the members of Team Eight. If you come across any hostiles, feel free to use your full power and any ninjutsu you choose. Just remember, your teammates are in the vicinity, and they are carrying exhausted and wounded Konoha Shinobi!"

Doragon started shaking with delight. 'It's been a while since the Commander has let me use my full power…which element should I use? Katon is the most destructive, but I might hit a tree that one of my teammates is on…guess I'll stick with Raiton, and if that doesn't work then I'll use Doton, and if that doesn't work then I'll use Suiton. I'm not in the mood to use Fuuton.' Doragon managed to make his decision just in time to hear the rest of Fenikkusu's commands.

"Jaga-kun you are to travel so you are visible to at least one other teammate. As soon as you can see Konoha, give some sort of signal to let the others know before dropping your weights and getting to Konoha as fast as possible. I don't care if you jump over the gates… in fact, I want you to jump over the gates in order to deliver the scrolls to Hokage-sama as fast as possible. Make sure that you tell her that your teammates are transporting injured Konoha shinobi though Tokage-chan healed them as well as she could, given the time restraints. After that, alert the gate guards to be on the lookout for possible hostile shinobi and tell the ANBU of the situation. Have them send reinforcements to help guard the members of Team Eight. Tell them where your teammates are before you leave them behind to assist Doragon-kun in the protection of Team Eight and the Jounin. Hopefully the other ANBU won't be needed, but it's always better to be on the safe side."

Jaga saluted Fenikkusu. "Hai Commander. Which route do you want me to take?"

"The scenic route of course. No, don't go on the scenic route, I'm just joking!"

"So am I Commander, so am I. You want the fastest route to Konoha right? Well, I just so happen to know a secret route that'll get them there in five jiffies!"

Shaking his head at the antics of his most hyper subordinate, Fenikkusu gave them one last order, "You have your commands, now go!"

Those that had been designated left for Konoha immediately, with Jaga leading the way.

Fenikkusu looked at his subordinates that had left for a second before turning back to face his remaining subordinates. "Right, we move to engage the enemy now. We'll split into two groups when we get there. I don't care who engages who, but Sai-chan and Ookami-chan, make sure that you two aren't in the same group. I want both groups to have one weapons user in it. Ready? Let's go!"

In the spot where the Kuro Mizu had once stood was nothing to indicate that anyone had ever been there.

--------------------------------

"A-ano… Feretto-san…w-will the r-r-rest of y-your s-s-squad b-be o-okay?"

"Ha, ha, don't worry about them! The Commander's with them, he won't let any of them get harmed."

"I hope you don't mind, but this 'Commander' of yours, what is he in command of?" asked Shino. He was the one member of his team who always gathered information, whether it was on a mission or not.

Tora decided to answer. "Well, you're nice and polite, not like that Inuzuka over there. As for your question…well, I would like to answer that, but the Commander would be pretty upset if I did answer. Sorry kiddo."

"Aahh, just tell them our purpose Tora-kun ol' buddy ol' pal!"

"No, you know the Commander's rule!"

"Bah, that rule is gonna be obsolete pretty soon!"

"May I ask why that is? Are you going to tell everyone?!"

"Nope, but pretty soon, all the elemental nations will know about us. How long do you think we can keep what we do a secret? And I'm not talking about our most recent missions, I'm talking about the two that take priority over all other missions!"

"For once Jaga-kun has a point," stated Fukuro.

"Before we start deciding to give out points, I'd like to know what you're doing back here Jaga!" scolded Wani.

"Bah, don't worry about me, I'm still running up ahead! I'm just a Kage Bunshin!" Jaga happily stated.

'Kage Bunshin? That's a B-rank kinjutsu! Just who are these guys to have clearance to learn kinjutsu?' wondered Kurenai.

"Fine, I'll let you do the honors Jaga-kun. But only our Alpha-priority mission, not the Beta or Delta one. Also, no telling of…heritage," warned Wani.

'Three high priority missions assigned to one ANBU squad? Just who are they?' wondered the conscious members of Team Eight.

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Can you see it? This is the start! After we tell this team, everybody in Konoha will know of the legendary Kuro Mizu!"

"Calm down Jaga-kun! You baka, you just told them our name! Furthermore, I doubt that Hokage-sama will let them tell anyone about us…at least, not yet," reprimanded Wani.

Jaga visibly deflated when he realized that she was telling the truth. "Bah, spoilsport! But the name doesn't matter, 'cuz those two," he stated, pointing towards Hinata and Kiba, "Heard that Oto-shinobi that the Commander took care of call us Kuro Mizu. Now that I think of it, they also heard him call the Commander Konoha's Shikyo no Fenikkusu! What a name…how come I don't have one like that?"

"Because fool, you haven't killed a fourth of many people as the Commander has. Therefore, none of the hidden villages know much about you," Doragon explained.

"What! But everybody loves me, I'm the favorite member of Kuro Mizu 'cuz I'm the cute one!"

Wani snorted. "Cute one huh? Even if you were, no one would know! You're wearing a mask baka!"

"Oh…oh ya. Guess you're right huh, Captain? Well…I'm the fastest one, chicks dig the fast ones. You know, because they see move that fast during battle then they start wondering, 'How fast can he go in bed?' Yup, that's why everyone will know of me."

"You really are a fool, aren't you? Tell me, in the battles that we have fought in, what is your style?"

"Well Doragon-kun, my extremely destructive friend, I'm…a flash! I'm here one second, then over there another second slicing that mans throat, then I'm over yonder stabbing someone else in the heart, then…I'm out of words to use for different locations! Well, you get my point."

"Indeed I do my foolish friend. The truth is…you're too fast for any enemy shinobi to see! How the hell are they supposed to fear you when they don't even know you're there?"

"Hmm…guess your right. Wait! You're wrong! How the hell did Yondaime-sama get his name as Konoha's Yellow Flash?! No one could see him when he was using his Hirashin no Jutsu!"

"Before and after he used the Hirashin no Jutsu, he was clearly visible. You on the other hand, are visible only when you stop moving. Face it, the only time you stop moving is when our objective is complete. By then, any survivors that have run to tell others of their plight didn't have a time to see you. That's why you aren't in any Bingo Books," Doragon calmly explained.

"N-not in a-any B-bingo Books? Kuso! How the hell could they leave the most important member of Kuro Mizu out! Tell me…you gotta tell me, who has the highest bounty on their head?"

"Who do you think? The Commander of course! He's the only one of us listed as S-Rank, flee on sight. Well, in the Oto Bingo Book he's listed as kill on sight. Guess Orochimaru really hates him, huh? Anyways, his bounty is at least twice as much as Jiraiya-sama's is," lectured Wani.

The members of Team Eight were all surprised. A bounty twice the size of Jiraiya-sama's, one of the Sannin? Unheard of!

"B-but w-what d-d-did Fenikkusu-san do t-to h-h-have s-such a h-huge b-bounty placed on his head?" questioned Hinata.

"Well my pretty little Hyuuga friend, a better question would be, 'What didn't he do?' He makes us take missions that would be suicide for any other team. In fact, I can distinctly remember Hokage-sama calling our actions, 'Brave, foolish, and reckless!' Of course the Commander didn't like that, so he told her 'No, it's called perilous!' To be honest, I think that the Commander just used that word so next time Hokage-sama could save her breathe and just yell at us for being 'perilous' instead of those other words. On the other hand, 'perilous' sounds pretty cool, and women dig cool words like that. Hmm, maybe I should make my name 'The Perilous Jaga-sama. Ya, that sounds pretty cool."

"You like to talk don't you Jaga-san?"

"Of course my dear crimson-eyed hime! Talking is wonderful. It's Kami-sama's gift to men! Well…on second thought, I think sake (rice wine) is…no, women are Kami-sama's gift to men!"

"Right, well before you start ranting again, can you tell us what your Alpha-priority mission is?"

"Huh? Oh ya, right, Captain gave me permission to tell you, I almost forgot!" Everyone sweat dropped upon hearing that.

"Well..our Alpha-priority mission…is a secret!"

The conscious members of Team Eight would've face-faulted if they had not been carried. The other ANBU members started laughing as they saw the look on their faces.

"Ha,ha,ha, you should've seen your faces! It is a secret, but not anymore 'cuz I got permission to tell you. Before you go blabbing your mouths though, ask Hokage-sama whether you and tell anyone else about it, understood?"

Hinata, Shino, and Kurenai all awaited eagerly.

"Well…our Alpha-priority mission is…the utter and complete destruction of the menace known to the elemental countries as…Akatsuki!"

The members of Team Eight were stunned. Sure they knew that a group had been set aside to find the Akatsuki members, but a group charged with killing the members? Unheard of!

"If Hokage-sama gave you that task then you must all be incredibly powerful," Shino stated calmly, even though he was just as shocked as the others.

"Yup! We all specialize in certain things. I specialize in speed, Doragon-kun here is our heavy combat specialist…and well, I better stop before the good ol' Captain comes and cuts me to ribbons! I'll see you all in seven jiffies…or at least the real me will!" That being said, the Kage Bunshin dispelled itself.

"Kuso…the pudding-headed fool! Sometimes I swear he has no brain! You, none of you are to speak of what Jaga-baka and Doragon-kun specialize in, you hear me?" Wani stated in a cold voice.

Thoroughly intimidated by Wani, the conscious members of Team Eight started looking anywhere but at the furious ANBU Captain. Kurenai tried to catch a glimpse of the Jounin who was rescued by the Kuro Mizu. She wanted to see if she knew who the kunoichi was. Much to her surprise and anger, she did.

---------------------------------------

"Shizune-chan! You're the one that was rescued?! Are you alright? What happened? Those bandits didn't hurt you, did they? The last I heard, you were on a long term mission," inquired Kurenai.

"Nice to see you too, Kurenai-chan," Shizune stated in between chuckles. She loved how her friend cared so much for her precious people. "Well, I guess I should start by telling you what my assignment was."

"I was assigned to follow a Genin team that was given a D-rank delivery mission to a town near the border of Konoha and Oto because Tsunade-sama wanted me to pick some herbs that grew near that town. The delivery was made without any problems and the villagers were friendly so we decided to stay there for another day so I could pick more herbs. I picked enough herbs to last for a few months so we decided to leave the next day. About three hours after we left, we were ambushed," at this point in her story, Shizune paused to wipe her tears as she remembered what had happened.

"We were ambushed by thirty bandits. Well, at first we thought they were bandits, but they were far too skilled to be bandits. Once we realized that they were shinobi, the Jounin sensei and I tried to cover the Genin while they ran back towards the village. As they were running, they were ambushed by ten shinobi. When I realized what had happened, I went to assist them, but it was too late. They didn't go down without a fight though they took down six of them. I'm still not sure how they managed to do it. Anyways, after I finished those shinobi, I went back to help the other Jounin."

"For a while, we were doing pretty well, considering how badly outnumbered we were. Then, some of them started to use their cursed seals. A few of them even went to level two. At that point, we both knew that we had no chance to survive so we started to fight recklessly, and banished any thoughts that we had of conserving chakra to use on our return trip to Konoha."

"After we started to fight recklessly, I have some trouble remembering what happened. I know that the other Jounin was killed by some sort of spikes, and then I think someone hit me from behind because I blacked out. When I came to, I was tied up in a tent; I tried to break free, but I was bound too tightly. I passed in and out of consciousness for days. They forced food and water down my throat whenever I was conscious. I always tried to break free no matter how tired I was after they told me why they were nursing me back to health; they wanted me to be in perfect condition before they had some fun with me," Shizune shuddered as she recalled that particular memory.

"Then one day came when one of my captors told me that the entire camp was going to have their way with me that night. I was frightened out of my mind. I was about to fight back and try to break free, but they knocked me out again. When I came to, I think it was night because the fire in the tent was lit. I heard a lot of noises outside, and I started to fear the worse. I didn't know if they were working themselves into a frenzy before they raped me or if they were being assaulted by another group of shinobi. By this time, I had given up any hope of being found by a Konoha team; I had been missing for days and I didn't think that the shinobi that captured me were stupid enough to leave a trail."

"After five minutes, everything was silent. I could hear the fires outside crackling and the footsteps of several people walking around. When I saw the tent flap open up, I prayed that it wouldn't be a shinobi from a hostile village."

"Luckily, it was a Konoha ANBU that opened the tent, or to be more specific, Fenikkusu-san. I still remember what happened too, that's how relieved I was."

Begin Flashback

"You…who are you?" Shizune asked. The fire in the tent wasn't bright enough to illuminate the entrance of the tent, so she could only make out a shadowy figure.

"Don't worry Shizune-san, I am here to help you. Hokage-sama became very worried when she didn't hear from you, so she sent my ANBU squad out to find your whereabouts. It seems that we arrived just in time. Have they harmed you?"

"N-no, they haven't harmed me. They were going to r-rape me tonight, but I think you stopped them."

"Good. If they had raped your, then I would have to find a way to revive them and kill them in a much more painful and slow manner."

Shizune was surprised. Most ANBU didn't speak this much. In fact, she had heard more from this ANBU that she had from others when they were in a mission debriefing.

"Ano ANBU-san, may I know what your codename is?" she asked. She knew that she would be out of line to ask for the ANBU's real name seeing as most, if not all, ANBU members preferred to keep their identities separate.

"Yes you may Shizune-san. You may call me Fenikkusu."

"Phoenix? That fits...so that's what your mask is representing."

"Very observant of you. Few have been able to discern what my mask is. Now enough talk, let me free you," Fenikkusu stated before he walked forward and started to gently free her. Up close and in the firelight, Shizune could see Fenikkusu much more clearly. She gasped at what she saw. He was covered in blood, parts of his mask was stained red. Shizune was no fool, she knew that some of this wasn't his, but there was no way that none of it came from his own wounds!

"Fenikkusu-san, as soon as you free me, let me tend to your wounds! I haven't been able to use my chakra for anything, so I still have a full capacity!"

Fenikkusu chuckled, and Shizune was annoyed. Did he think that she was unable to heal anything after being tied up for days? Or was he laughing because a woman offered to help him? Just as she was about to ask him, he spoke up.

"Forgive my laughter Shizune-san, it's just that the willingness that you just showed to heal me never ceases to amaze me. I have always admired any iryo-nin3 who heals anybody that is injured. I apologize if I have offended you. As for your medical assistance, it is not needed, for I am not wounded," after finishing his sentence, Fenikkusu freed Shizune and lifted her up.

"Forgive me for carrying you in such a manner when you can probably walk, but time is of the essence. A portion of the shinobi in this camp are missing, and I fear that they may have found another Konoha team," Fenikkusu finished before letting out a low whistle.

"Oh, and on another note, please close your eyes when we exit the tent. It is rather gruesome outside." Shizune decided to follow his advice. She was very lucky she did, for it seemed as though it had rained blood and body parts last night.

He headed for the trees and started running. Shizune noticed several other figures behind them; she figured that they were his squad mates.

"I don't mind, but please hurry! If those shinobi come across a Genin team, they'll slaughter them!"

"I know that, my squad and I came across the scene where I suppose you were captured. I have placed the bodies in a sealing scroll in order to give to their families."

Shizune's lips twisted upward into a slight smile. It wasn't everyday that one came across an ANBU that was still…human as this one was. She didn't blame the other detached ANBU members, after all, going on the missions that ANBU were sent on had a nasty habit of desensitizing someone. However, she still had one question.

"Are you sure that you aren't wounded? I mean, there's a lot of blood on you, and if you traveled in a squad I doubt that you would have all this blood on you."

"I did travel in a squad, but we split up in order to find the camp as fast as possible. Only one other member of my squad was with me when we attacked. As for the reason for having so much blood on me, we saw a portion of this camp leaving in order to recover a stolen item."

"We did not want to fight more opponents than we had to incase any captives, especially you, were harmed in a cross fire. Thus, we had to attack quickly and without alerting the roving shinobi. That meant that we couldn't use chakra, limiting our options. If we did use chakra, then one of the roving shinobi might have sensed our chakra and come investigate."

"Luckily, the teammate I was with specializes in kenjutsu, and I'm not half-bad with a sword, if I may say so myself. The result was rather bloody. That's why I have all this blood on me."

"Oh. Well, I just want to thank you and your teammate for saving me."

"Thanks are not necessary. We are just doing what we were ordered to do. Furthermore, it was the right thing to do."

Suddenly, Fenikkusu stopped on a branch and let Shizune down. He made a fist with his right hand and pointed it straight up in the air. Letting his arm down slowly, he formed a fist with his left hand, raised it in the air, and extended his middle and index fingers. Instantly, an ANBU with an owl mask appeared to his left.

"Fukuro-chan, take care of Shizune-san."

"Hai Commander. Shizune-san, if you would allow me," Fukuro stated before picking Shizune up and returning to her spot somewhere behind Fenikkusu.

Fenikkusu once again formed his left hand into a fist and extended his arm so that his fist was pointed directly in front of him. He formed his right hand into a fist and pointed it slightly behind him and to his right. Six of the ANBU, including Fukuro and Shizune, went to the area that Fenikkusu had pointed out with his left arm. Fenikkusu and the remaining ANBU members went towards the direction that he pointed it with his right arm.

End Flashback

"And that brings us to where we met you…well observed you in your case Kurenai-chan. We saw your fight and the ANBU didn't think you needed help so they stayed back. Once you were done, we followed you and stayed hidden while you saw the 'fight' between Ookami-san and Fenikkusu-san."

"When the squad had to go somewhere, Fukuro-san told me to stay hidden in a tree and I did. Then, I'm being carried back to Konoha along with your team!" Shizune finished.

Kurenai couldn't help herself; she was the sensei of a reconnaissance team, and she had to know more about this mysterious ANBU squad.

"So two members of Kuro Mizu were able to defeat an entire camp of who knows how many shinobi?" Upon seeing Shizune nod, she continued her questioning, "How strong are these guys?"

"Very strong," replied Tora. Kurenai was startled when Tora spoke up. The members of Kuro Mizu had been so quiet and her ride had been so smooth that she had forgotten that they were being carried by intelligent beings. Luckily, she was able to overcome her shock in order to hear the rest of Tora's response.

"You now know of our main mission. Do you really think that Hokage-sama would send out anyone but the best? Besides, you shouldn't really count those Oto-shinobi as real opponents; they were fools. The only things they had going for them were the element of surprise, superior numbers, and cursed seals. Take away the element of surprise, and they were significantly weaker."

"Ano…T-tora-san…t-the o-ones t-that Kiba-kun a-and I f-faced w-were r-r-rather strong," Hinata pointed out.

"Bah, that's because they surprised you. Furthermore, your teammate was a baka, I should know. I saw the entire battle, and you took on three times as many opponents as he did!" Saru stated. "If I counted correctly, then the fool took three soldier pills for all the good it did him. He did more damage to himself by overdosing on soldier pills than the Oto-shinobi did to him!"

Hinata started to blush as she saw the smile and approving look that Kurenai-sensei, Shino-kun, and Shizune-san sent towards her. However, she didn't want anyone to think that she was more powerful than she actually was.

"B-but…I w-w-was s-still d-d-defeated," Hinata tried to clarify.

"I suppose I misled you when I said that they shouldn't be counted as real opponents. What I meant was that they shouldn't be counted as real opponents for anyone Jounin or higher," clarified Tora. "Look at the rest of your team, they didn't encounter nearly as much trouble as you two did because they had an experience Jounin, your sensei, with them."

"Don't take what Tora-kun said the wrong way-you're not weak, far from it. If I had to rank you, I would say that you're a Tokubetsu Jounin since I didn't see you use any ninjutsu, I assume that you don't know that many outside of the ones taught at the Academy," Saru stated.

Hinata was about to apologize for being a useless shinobi. If she had spent more time learning more ninjutsu instead of focusing on Juuken, then maybe she wouldn't have had to be saved by the Kuro Mizu!

"I can see that you're about to apologize for something. Don't! It's not your fault at all! Most Hyuuga have trouble getting past the rank of Tokubetsu Jounin since they think their style is perfect. Some even refuse to learn more techniques, so they can't be promoted to anything higher. You're different though…you seem to be willing to branch out into other areas. That's good. When you become the head of your clan, hopefully you can change the attitude of all the other Hyuugas!" finished Saru with a statement.

Hinata was embarrassed. Here was a total stranger, complimenting her on her skills. Furthermore, he seemed to actually believe that she would become the head of her clan! About half of her clan still didn't think she was fit to lead the clan, including the Hyuuga Council. Luckily, her father didn't seem to think that she was worthless anymore. In fact, he wanted her to become the head now. How strange it was that a total stranger backed her up while some of her own family didn't.

"Look alive people, Jaga-baka just signaled! Doragon-kun, I want you to be extra alert now that we have one less person on the look-out!" Wani shouted out. It was very obvious that she was still mad at Jaga for revealing a bit too much information.

Shino was very surprised even though he didn't show it. 'Amazing, we are already near Konoha…I didn't even realize how fast we were traveling. This squad…Kuro Mizu…they really are powerful.'

------------------------------------------

Jaga was nearing Konoha. 'Gotta remember to pick up my weights, they cost me a fortune! Hmm, how should I get in? Should I run up the gate or jump over it? Let's see how well trained these gate guards are!'

When Jaga was ten yards away he stopped and threw a smoke bomb to the left of his position. They landed about ten feet away from the left side of the main gate to Konoha. When the smoke was released into the air, he was on the move again.

'What a bunch of bakas!' thought Jaga as he saw both gate guards walk over to get a better view of the smoke. 'I wonder why they thought that leaving a blind spot was a good idea. Oh well, I'll tell the Commander and he'll tell Hokage-sama. If I told Hokage-sama, then I would be stuck writing up a report, and that takes time!'

Before the smoke dissipated, Jaga had already reached the gate and ran up and over it.

Scratching his head, one gate guard asked the other, "Did you see anything?"

"Nope."

Turning back to look around at the area surrounding the gate, the first gate guard replied, "Neither did I. Bet you some Genin was fooling around with a smoke bomb and accidentally lobbed it over the wall.

-------------------------------------

"Jaga-kun is on his way back. He's coming in fast, I don't think he has his weights on," Doragon stated in his slow voice.

"Good, that means that more ANBU will be coming in soon to act as support," Wani stated in an imperative tone.

"Oi, did you pretty ladies miss me? Don't worry, I did everything the Commander told me to…I think," came the jolly voice of Jaga.

"What do you mean you think you did everything the Commander told you to do? He gave you explicit directions! You better wish that you did everything, otherwise you'll be going to be alone for a month!" shouted Wani.

"Calm down! I was just joking Captain. Of course I did everything he told me to. I even took the time to order the sake for us! No, no, no, don't look at me like that!" How he could tell how Wani was looking at him was beyond anyone's ideas. "I didn't order any sake…yet. You think I would order something using our account without asking the Commander for permission? Sheesh, have some faith in me would ya my ol' anger-prone Captain!"

Kurenai had to shake her head at the Jaga's antics. Forget what she had said about seeing any ANBU act like him, she had never seen any shinobi act like him. Well, she had seen Uzumaki Naruto act like him…in fact, now that she thought of it, their personalities were rather similar.

Both were extremely energetic and could talk a mile a minute and change the topic of any conversation at any moment. But could Naruto really be in ANBU? Ever since Tsunade-sama had become Hokage, the bar for joining ANBU became much higher. But then again, Naruto had been trained by Jiraiya-sama. If he was in ANBU, it would explain a lot about Naruto's recent absences. True training missions were believable given his condition, but being in ANBU would also explain his absences.

Kurenai quickly stopped her train of thought. It wouldn't do to pry into the identities of any ANBU member. They wore a mask and kept their identity a secret for a reason. This squad though, Kuro Mizu, seemed to be even more intent on keeping their identities a secret. She had never seen any ANBU squad keep their hoods up for a whole mission, even when running through the trees at a very high speed or in a battle. In fact they must be applying minuscule amounts of chakra to their hair in order to keep their hoods on. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Jaga speak up…again.

Honestly, it seemed as though he never shut up. She was glad she wasn't his Jounin sensei when he as a Genin. After spending less than a day with the energetic shinobi, she had new found respect for Hatake Kakashi. How had he managed to remain relatively sane when he had Naruto as a subordinate?

"Hah, we'll be in Konoha in ten jiffies. We didn't even need the extra ANBU that I had to go get. We basically got a safe ride back home people, there's no way we could be attacked now!"

"Zankuuha!4" Suddenly, trees all around the Konoha shinobi started falling, as if they were cut by an invisible force.

"Katon: Karyuu Endan!5" All the trees that had fallen to the ground were ignited. Whoever had used the ninjutsu must have used more chakra than necessary because the Konoha shinobi could feel the heat roughly forty feet above it.

"Surrender now and return what you have stolen and Orochimaru-sama may have mercy and grant you a quick death!" yelled an Oto-shinobi as he stepped forward.

"Surrender? I don't think so buddy. How about you put out those fires and let us go?"

The Oto-shinobi just stared at Jaga. "You refuse to surrender eh? I guess that means that you all have to die!" When he finished his sentence, nine other Oto-shinobi came out. All of them activated their cursed seals and bypassed level one completely, going straight to level two.

"What, are you guys part of a circus act? I haven't seen a variety of this many animals since the last time the circus was in town. Before you go and kill us, answer me this. Are you part of the animal act or the freak show?" came Jaga's reply.

"Grrr…I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart fool!"

While the banter was going on, Wani used the time that Jaga was buying for them to figure out their next move.

'Kuso, we're trapped in these trees. All the trees close enough to jump to have been cut down by the first attack. And we can't go down and run across the ground because the fallen trees are on fire. We could survive the flames due to our cloaks, but we can't cover both ourselves and our passengers with it. If it comes to it, we could put down Team Eight and Shizune-san, but we would have to protect them in addition to attack the Oto-shinobi. This is not good, we're in for a long fight…unless he hurries his ass up!'

"Rairyuu no Tatsumaki6," said a low voice.

A vortex of both lightning and wind seemed to appear out of nowhere and took the form of a massive dragon. The dragon took advantage of the Oto-shinobi's surprise to wipe out eight of them. The two that managed to avoid the initial attack ran away in fear.

One managed to just dodge being consumed by the raging dragon. Just as the dragon passed by him, a bolt of lightning struck him in the face, effectively leaving a headless corpse.

The remaining shinobi was still running when he saw an ANBU with a dragon mask right in front of him. He froze. If this one guy was the one who wiped out his entire squad, then he stood no chance.

Before he could speak in an attempt to persuade the ANBU to let him live, he saw the dragon that had devoured his squad come to a rest beside the ANBU.

"Any last words?" the ANBU stated in a bored voice. Just as he was about to speak, the ANBU beat him to it. "Good, because I wouldn't have listened if you had." That being said, the dragon opened its mouth and a lighting bolt shot out, heading straight for his head.

The Oto-shinobi had the sense to dodge when he saw the dragon open its mouth. He had seen his subordinate's head…dissolve? Blow up? He didn't really know what happened to it, all he knew was that he had to avoid the lightning bolt, and the only way to avoid Raiton ninjutsus was to dodge before the attack was released. With that in mind, he ducked just before the lightning bolt was formed.

'Strange…why is the lightning bolt still going? Oh well, I'm not complaining.' "Ha ha ha, you missed me stupid bakaaahh!" A giant explosion made the Oto-shinobi's sentence all the more expressive.

'Huh? A giant splinter in me? That can't be good…' the Oto-shinobi thought before dying. The last attacking shinobi had been killed by wood. When the lightning bolt 'missed' him, it had hit the tree directly behind him. By forcing enough power into his lightning bolt and sustaining it for a sufficient amount of time, the dragon was able to cause the tree to explode.

When it exploded, 'splinters' which would properly be classified as lumber, impaled the Oto-shinobi like a human pincushion. It wasn't pretty; there so many pieces of wood in the shinobi that it was hard to tell that he had once been human. If Doragon didn't know better, he would've thought that he had just defeated a Mokuton Bunshin.

With a snap of his fingers, the lightning dragon dissipated. He didn't have time to relish in all the destruction that he had been able to cause. There would be time for that later. Now, he had to save his teammates before they were burned to death. If he let them die because he was revealing in the destruction he caused, The Commander would be very angry. Angry enough to never let him go full out again.

Rushing towards his trapped teammates, he quickly, he started on a set of seals. "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu7," he stated in his ever calm voice. A giant wave of water formed in front of him and gushed down to smother the flames. Once the fires were gone, his teammates jumped down from the trees.

"Oi, what took you so long? I bet you sat on your ass and spent like ten jiffies just deciding what element to use, then you probably spent another ten jiffies deciding which jutsu to use to cause the most destruction! You know how mad the ladies of Konoha would be at you if you let my beauty become marred with burn scars?!"

"For your information impudent squirrel, I did not sit idly around…I already picked out which element to use when the Commander was giving us our orders," Doragon replied in his ever calm tone.

Sensing that Jaga was about to speak once more, Wani spoke first. "What Jaga-baka means to say is 'Thank you, I owe you my life and I am forever in your debt for being such a baka". Everyone else here thanks you as well, but you'll have to do with Jaga-baka being the only one in your debt."

Jaga started staggering around in mock pain, with his right hand over his heart. 'I could flirt with the crimson-eyed hime, but last I checked she was still dating Sarutobi…uh…Wind-knives dude. Or I could flirt with the beautiful Hyuuga.'

'The only problem is that she's the heiress! If I make a wrong move, I'm done for, I doubt even the Commander could save me from the entire Hyuuga clan's wrath. Bbbbuuuuuttttt….if I do flirt with her, then Mutt-boy would be pissed. That would be fun…is he even awake? Let's see…eyes fluttering, yup he's coming too! Since no one else in Kuro Mizu is brave enough to accept this quadruple S-ranked mission, then I will gallantly step forward! Operation: Piss Off Mutt-boy commence.' With his thoughts done, he managed to stagger towards Hinata.

Grabbing hold of Hinata's right hands with both of his, Jaga started speaking in a serious voice. "Oh, can you see what a cruel life I have to lead? They see a squad is like family, and if that's true then see what a terrible family I am stuck with? There is only one way I can escape from this endless cycle of hate. Hyuuga-san, will you help me? Please, I beg of you, I wish to be free of these chains and this cage that my so-called family used on me."

Hinata turned a faint shade of red. Someone needed her? Why would he pick her out of everyone here to help him?

Her eyes shone with compassion. She too knew what it was like to be unwanted in a family. She had spent close to thirteen years of her life living like that. It was terrible. If she could save anyone from a fate of what she had to endure, then she would do whatever she could.

"W-what d-do y-y-ou need m-me to d-do?" she tried to confidently ask.

'Don't tell me he's trying this again…' were the thoughts of the members of Kuro Mizu.

"I need," he said dropping down to one knee, still holding her hand, "For you to marry me. Please, say you'll marry me!"

Hinata's face turned as red as a tomato. "M-m-marry?" she managed to stutter out.

Kiba's eyes snapped open as he heard the word 'marry'. He had been conscious for a while, but he had been pretending to still be unconscious; with any luck, Hinata would come by and check on him to see if he was in good health. He hadn't even realized he was being carried until he opened his eyes and noticed his position.

"Oi, you damn temes, Hinata-chan isn't marrying anyone!" 'Except for me!'

"Hmmm…I see my conclusion was correct," Fukuro stated. Seeing the confused looks on the members of Team Eight and Shizune and the gestures that her teammates made when they were confused, she continued. "In this team, Inuzuka-san is the brash idiotic one. He will often rush in without thinking first. That is bound to lead his team into trouble. With the observations that I've made, I'm extremely surprised that he earned the rank of Chuunin, when he clearly does not display the required leadership qualities needed for a Chuunin."

Kiba bristled as he heard the ANBU's analysis of him. "Who the hell do you think you are? You can't say that I don't have leadership qualities; I'm going to be the head of the Inuzuka clan! Besides, you just met me; you don't know shit about me!"

"Actually, Mutt-boy…I'm getting tired of that name, you need a new name. I got it! From this day forth, you will be known as Retarded Puppy! Or at least until I get bored of it," Jaga cheekily replied.

"Back to my point, Fukuro-chan can say that about you. She's really good at observing people and categorizing their skills and stuff like that. There's a ninety-nine point whole bunch of nines that she's right about your skills…or lack of."

"Oh and by the way? The marriage? I was just joking just so you know. I wanted to see how many jiffies it would take before you woke up. If your fighting skills were as impressive as your waking up skills, then you would be stronger than all the Kages combined!" Jaga finished with a flourish.

Everybody started laughing except for Kiba who got even angrier.

"Okay, you all have had your fun, we need to go! Move out!" Wani ordered.

As soon as they started to move towards Konoha, Kiba started to complain. "Oi, let me down, I can run just as fast as you guys can!"

"I highly doubt you can. As much as I wish to let you down, I can't. The Commander ordered me to carry you, and we have to move fast, far faster than any of you can travel," Saru replied in a cold voice. He was angry; he had just spent the better part of the trip back to Konoha in peace, without the stupid Inuzuka interrupting him. He just had to wake up now and ruin the rest of the trip.

Kiba snorted. "Hah, I'm an Inuzuka, we're the fastest shinobi around! If I need to go faster, I can just get on Akamaru…hey, where is he?"

"On my back fool. Are you that incompetent that you didn't even notice he was less than a foot away from you?" came Saru's angry reply. "Maybe you should buy a leash for him, that should help you keep track of him."

Kiba sniffed. 'Strange…I don't smell that Fenikkusu guy…maybe he died!' "Speaking of this Commander of yours, where is he? While we're at it, where's the rest of your amazing Rainbow Squad? Hah, the Commander probably made some stupid call and got them all killed! What an idiot, wearing a gold clo…" Kiba couldn't finish his statement because once again he was the sole target of six incredibly powerful sources of killing intent.

"Don't you dare insult the Commander! Right now he's in a fight of the likes that hasn't been seen in years. He's fighting a major threat to Konoha, and he took only half of his squad with him!" Wani snapped back.

Kiba managed to find his voice; he had to salvage what pride he had left. "Hah, if he's in such a huge battle, then why didn't he bring you guys with him?"

"We were told to go back to Konoha in order to get you and your team to safety. I wish that I was back there, but I will never go against the Commander's orders," Jaga replied in a genuine tone for the first time that day.

"The Commander knew the risks he faced by going against the enemy with only half strength. But he also knew that if he kept us there that you guys would be in even more danger. The Commander never puts other teams in situations where they are outclassed," Fukuro stated.

"What's so great about your Commander anyways? I've never heard of him! He must be a nobody, I mean I am part of Konoha's best reconnaissance team."

Kiba's attempt to regain his spot as the alpha male failed miserably. Saru 'accidentally' dropped him on the next tree branch he landed on, causing the Chuunin's wounds that he sustained in the previous battle to reopen.

"Don't ever insult the Commander in my presence. If I didn't have orders to take you back to Konoha safely, then I would kill you!" Saru stated breathing heavily. He barely managed to control his temper before he picked Kiba back up.

Akamaru started to whine from his position on Saru's back. Kiba decided that he should heed Akamaru's advice. To nurse his badly damaged pride, he told himself that if this encounter had happened when he was not hampered from overdosing on soldier pills, then he would've continued the argument until he won. But for today, he would let it slide.

-----------------------------------------

"Jaga-kun, did you tell the gate guards that we were coming back?"

"Nope! I just ran right past them! They didn't even know I was there! Guess I'm not such of a baka after all, huh Captain?"

"So you mean that we're heading straight for a closed gate, which will probably have extra gate guards on it?"

"Yup! I told Hokage-sama that the Commander wanted more gate guards in case anything happened. She listened to me too, I could hear her shouting as I left."

"You really are a baka! We're going to be stuck outside until Hokage-sama comes to identify us!"

"What?! Why wouldn't they let the famous Kuro Mizu in?!"

"Baka! How many people know who we are?"

"Oh…right…well, we could just go in the same way I did."

"And how was that?"

"I just ran up the gate without letting the guards see me."

"Jaga-kun, not all of us are as fast as you are," gently chided Fukuro.

"Hmmm…well, let's just burn that bridge when we get to it eh?" Wani was about to chastise Jaga for his lack of foresight again when he started talking. "Well, what do you now, it's time to burn the bridge. Doragon-kun, would you mind using the strongest ninjutsu you have? The gate looks pretty tough."

The group stopped when they reached the gates. There were no gate guards visible, which was standard procedure when the village was expecting an attack. After all, why give the enemy an extra target when there were peep holes to use?

"Doragon-kun, if you aren't going to use a ninjutsu, then I guess I could knock," stated Jaga. He hated it when the village was on alert; it slowed everything down, and the thing that Jaga hated the most was when things went slow.

"That won't be necessary…but it would be funny to see how long you would keep knocking," stated a voice from the top of the gate. Instinctively, everybody looked up towards the voice.

"Mitarashi-san, I assume that you have been told that we would be coming?" Wani stated while her hand slowly reached towards her kunai holder.

Even though she was near Konoha, she was still ready for anything. In fact, ever since the Commander had given them their orders, all the members of Kuro Mizu had been ready for battle; even Jaga had been ready to fight at a moments notice. His care-free and humorous attitude made his enemies underestimate his skills, giving him a major advantage. Not a single one of them would relax until the Commander told them to.

"Hai, Hokage-sama told us to look for ANBU members with oddly colored cloaks that were carrying the members of Team Eight and an additional Konoha Jounin. I recognize the members of Team Eight and the Jounin, and if your cloaks aren't oddly colored, then I don't know what is."

"It's very nice of you that you didn't attack us, but would you mind letting us in now? I need to go get a nice big bottle of sake," Jaga replied.

"Let me deactivate the security seals on the gate. It'll be quicker if you just run up the gate; opening them will take a couple of minutes. Okay, come on up!"

"You have my thanks my purple-haired hime," Jaga stated from behind Anko. 'Damn, I didn't even see him move! If he's that fast on the field, I wonder how fast he is in bed!'

"Oi, before you leave, Hokage-sama said she wanted to see all of you in her office immediately!" Anko called out just as the last member of Kuro Mizu ran up the gate. Wani nodded her head in confirmation, and without another word headed for the Hokage's Tower.

"Damn, guess we have to have a mission debriefing before we get that sake eh?"

"Jaga-baka, you know we always wait until the whole squad is back before we go drinking!" Fukuro chastised.

"Stow it you two, we're here. Look sharp, I'm not going to have us walk in there looking light we just ran a marathon," Wani stated. "The Commander wouldn't approve of it, and neither will I for that matter."

"Oi, we're back in Konoha now! You can let us down now!" Kiba replied. It wouldn't do if anyone from his clan saw him being carried like a child. Without a word, Saru dropped Kiba and untied Akamaru from his back. While Akamaru landed on all fours, Kbia landed on his butt. 'Damn, humiliated in front of Hinata-chan again! It's going take forever to rebuild my reputation!'

The other passengers were let off in a more gentle manner. With the members of Kuro Mizu leading the way, they all entered the Hokage's Tower.

They walked right past the initial receptionist and headed up the stairs. When they reached the room leading to the Hokage's office, another receptionist looked up. Her mouth formed an 'O' as she saw the color the ANBU's cloaks.

"Hokage-sama is waiting for you. Please enter her office," she stated politely, managing to close her mouth before anyone could call her on her bad manners.

"Arigato," Wani replied.

Instead of the two Chuunin guards outside of the office, there were two ANBU Black Ops guarding the door. Wani was sure that there were more ANBU members hidden somewhere; that was protocol, during an alert the regular Chuunin guards would be replaced with ANBU Black Ops and more ANBU members would be hidden. Some could be hiding in a closet, Henged as a piece of furniture, or even Henged as the Hokage should the situation be desperate enough.

Wani raised her right hand and knocked twice.

"Come in," came the Hokage's voice.

--------------------------------------------------------

1: Here's to looking at you- It's a quote from a movie, Casablanca. The entire quote is "Here's to looking at you, kid."

2: Hitai-ates? We ain't got no hitai-ates! We don't need no hitai-ates. I don't have to show you any stinkin' hitai-ates!- It's a variation of the quote, "Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!" from the movie, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

3: Iryo-nin- Medic nin

4: Zankuuha- Extreme Decapitating Air Waves

5: Katon: Karyuu Endan- Fire Dragon Flame Projectile

6: Rairyuu no Tatsumaki- Lightning Dragon Tornado

7: Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu- Grand Waterfall Technique

Author's Notes: Okay, I was planning on having this be a one-shot, but it was way too long. If I wanted to, I could make this into an entire fic, not a two-shot (which it will be). I'd really appreciate it if you would review, I'd like to know what you thought of my first fight scenes (I know they're short, I did that on purpose; this fic isn't focused on fighting, it focuses more on drama and romance-which will be greatly emphasized in the next chapter).

Before I finish this, I have some beta-work to do for Nartuo 21 first. Then I'll work on the second chapter (which is already outlined). After chapter two is finished, then I'll get back to work on Prodigy of the Spirit Realm. I already have up to chapter five outlined, so the updates shouldn't take three months.

I decided to go call the members of Kuro Mizu by their masks because some if not all of them are O.C.'s, and I suck at creating Japanese names. I can't copy them from some other Japanese show because when I write about them I get the original characters face and attitude in my mind and it hampers the writing process. Next chapter will include all the names and translations, cloak colors, and finally what Fenikkusu and Jaga hinted at, their specializations.