Disclaimer: I own nothing recognised as belonging to someone else. The Kuroi Clan, and most of its ideals and traditions, not to mention the bloodline ability, belong to me.

Wasn't sure if I should put it up, but let me know what you think, anyway.

When compared to most other clans, the Kuroi Clan was neither large not prestigious, but everyone who had heard of them knew that they produced some of the most dangerous Ninja in the Elemental Countries.

The defining traits of the Kuroi Clan were similar to those of the Uchiha Clan and it was speculated that the Sharingan came about via an affair between a Kuroi man and a Hyuuga female. A similar union was speculated in regards to the Nara Clan, only the roles reversed.

Regardless of circumstances, what set the Kuroi apart from the other clans was that the Shodai had been passionately in love with a Kuroi Kunoichi, thus leading him to agree to certain conditions and regulations in regards to the power the Council and even the Hokage had over the Clan that he would not have otherwise. Furthermore, Kuroi were answerable only to the Hokage, and, should the Hokage be indisposed, they would temporarily transfer their allegiances to a Shinobi of any rank of their own, pre-determined, choosing.

The Kuroi clan were all tall and pale; angular, lanky and strangely attractive. Their hair was soft and held the rainbow sheen of a raven's wing, and was often worn long by both the males and females. Their eyes, thickly wreathed in long, dark eyelashes, were either a deep soft violet or a bright fiery ember-red/orange. Their teeth were pointed and sharp, ears tapered to a fin-like point and their fingernails were long, sharp and hard as any demon's claws.

The females were generally aggressive, insanely protective of what they considered 'Theirs', ruthless and sometimes full-out berserkers, so their Chakra affinities were usually fire or lightning. On the other end of the spectrum, the males were stand-offish, quiet, coldly practical, logical and just as, though differently so, ruthless as their female counterparts. Their affinities usually swung towards water or wind. However, without deviation, all of the Kuroi Clan had a Primary affinity with Shadows. It was rare that a Kuroi had earth affinity and had only been recorded twice in the last hundred years.

The Kuroi Clan compound was situated in an ancient cave-system beneath the Hokage Monument. The natural corridors were lit only with glowing green fungus and the occasional gas-flame lamp until you reached the main living areas were large fires would burn in urns of oil to provide warmth and a means of cooking. Water was abundant, as were the blind fish that lived in the underground pools.

This suited them just fine, as the Kuroi had much in common with their Clan Emblem, the Bat. Their pointed ears, the most prominent of their physical features, were highly sensitive and had a cochlea (1) similar to a bat's, allowing them limited echolocation. Decimal range of most Kuroi individuals was also twice the range of the average person. Their eyes were light-sensitive, causing them to avoid bright lights and, more often than not, become almost totally nocturnal. Speed was a problem they seldom had because of partially-hollow bones making them lighter, but also more prone to breakages.

They were feared assassins and spies, able to gain Intel where others could not. Fact was, they had dirt on pretty much everyone in Konohagakure. They were the unofficial intelligence police force, so the Hokage almost always asked them when something was troubling him about someone's intentions. They were also given the task of training orphaned clan children from all countries as the secret trump card of Konohagakure who were sent on 'unofficial' missions and even to infiltrate other Hidden Villages at Academy level.

If they had wanted to, the Kuroi Clan could have taken over the Elemental Countries at any point in time…

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Kuroi Kuronue could remember the first time he ever laid eyes on Uzumaki Naruto.

The boy had been three at the time and had been curled into a ball, beaten bloody and unconscious.

The boy had woken the next morning in a small, warm and clean shanty in a disused side street near a small canal, wrapped in blankets next to a scroll detailing diagrams of stealth tactics and camouflage.

That had been the best the then sixteen-year-old could do for the boy, fully aware that anything else he gave would be destroyed quickly by hostile civilians and shinobi; not to mention he probably would have been killed if he had been told how to defend himself.

But Kuronue had kept an eye on him through the years and left things for the blonde to find if he needed it. This was normal behaviour for his clan. Since they were mostly secluded, most Kuroi would 'adopt' a child to follow around until they died or the child did.

Uzumaki Naruto, though he didn't know it, was under the eye of the strongest member of the infamous Black Cloud Clan, named so because of their clan name, Kuroi (black), and their clan insignia, a bat (a group of bats is called a 'cloud').

At twenty-four, Kuronue was one of the few Kuroi who were listed in the actual shinobi register. Every so often, a child was inserted into the force on their own whim, and to remind everyone that they were still around. They would then leave whenever they wanted, as part of the agreements between their clan and the founding Hokage.

At this moment, Kuronue had quietly slipped into the Hokage's office in the dead of night whilst the Sandaime worked on paperwork and settled in the chair opposite the desk.

He didn't have to wait long before the old man realised he was there.

He paused and put down his brush before looking up at the young man seated opposite him.

Sarutobi didn't recognise this particular Kuroi, but his face was vaguely familiar. He puffed on his pipe as he sat back.

"May I help you, Kuroi-san."

Soft, deep violet eyes blinked slowly before speaking in an equally soft murmur. "I understand that Uzumaki Naruto passed into genin rank this evening due to completing a B-Ranked mission."

If anyone but a Kuroi had asked this, Sarutobi would have been on defence, but the shadowed members of the Black Cloud Clan were surprisingly apathetic when it came to demons and those who jailed them. He must have had a reason for bringing the young blonde up.

"That is correct."

The man nodded to himself, bangs curling against his cheekbones. "Naruto is my pup."( A 'Pup' is also a baby bat)

The Sandaime nearly let the pipe fall from his lips at that. He had only a vague idea of what being a 'pup' meant to the Kuroi, but it was enough to know that it meant the 'pup' had a protector and beneficiary in the shadows. More than once, a Kuroi had come forward with evidence to prove a 'pup' innocent at a trial and point out who was to blame.

"And so?" The Sandaime inquired, now thoroughly curious.

"And so I desire to be his Jounin sensei." The pipe really fell from the old man's lips at that. "I don't particularly care who his teammates are."

Sarutobi glanced at the list he had been making and his eyes fell on Team 7. He had been planning to give that team to Hatake Kakashi since he had the Sharingan and was the student of the Yondaime, but this could possibly work out better.

The Hokage glanced at the calm shadow across from him. "Agreed. His teammates are Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. They are on Team 7, which I had intended to have as a frontal-assault team, but I believe you would be able to train them in whatever manner you desire. May I have your name to place on the teams scroll?"

"Kuroi Kuronue. Age twenty-four, ranked special Jounin previously of Intelligence Squad 14. I will train them as an assassinations, retrieval, rescue and reconnaissance team." He paused as the Hokage jotted down the information. "I wish for permission to take them into the Kuroi compound for a month of intensive isolated training when they pass my test."

Sarutobi nodded and added that as a footnote. "We will be having a meeting of all selected Jounin sensei tomorrow at 11am. Please be prompt."

The shadow stood and bowed before slinking off into the shadows, voice floating to old ears on the night air.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

(1)The cochlea is the auditory portion of the inner ear. Its core component is the Organ of Corti, the sensory organ of hearing, which is distributed along the partition separating fluid chambers in the coiled tapered tube of the cochlea.