Two shadows moved in complete sync. Their running made no sound, as they moved on the ceiling, upside down. They sped up as they closed in on their targets. Both men used hand signs to give orders to each other.

The one with the mask of a weasel lounged to the front, as his unsheathed tanto was driven in the skull of an old perverted slave-seller.

Meanwhile, the man in a mask of a bird killed the 4 guards that were there to protect the man. Their bodies hit the floor with an unusually loud thump. Bird looked at the guards – they were missing-nins. Quickly remembering the bingo book and understanding that were nothing special, he hand signed to Weasel. A second later, they both disappeared in smoke.

They had Shunshin'ed to the rooftop. They both nodded to each other and disappeared in the forest silently. They moved completely naturally, almost like they were made for running along on the branches.

After 15 minutes they reached the camp. On the ground, there was small campfire that didn't create smoke. By it, sat an old man with a bag near his feet. His face was aloof looking.

He grinned at the two ANBU and the old man turned into their Squad Leader. He was sitting by the fire with an orange book in his hand and his face was obscured by a dog mask with red and black markings.

''Already done, Weasel, Bird?'' – he asked, lazily.

They both nodded.

''Good job. I don't know why others were worried about you.'' – he said, as he returned to his book. –''Have some food and rest. If you want, you can take out some more targets, it's not often that we are near the land of the Wind.''

They both nodded again as they sat down near the campfire and took a skewer each. They moved they white masks to the side as their faces were uncovered.

Under the Weasel mask was Itachi and under the Bird mask was Naruto. They both ate in silence.

In these past months that they've been working as ANBU under Kakashi Hatake in Team Ro, they had grown to like the silence provided by working in ANBU, but by no means was ANBU relaxing.

Their senses were always calibrated to the highest, and everyone always became jumpy. You couldn't even touch an ANBU if you weren't ready to take a tanto in the gut.

It was stressing, really, but Naruto enjoyed the weaks of being away from Konoha.

No, don't get him wrong, Konoha is his hometown, he loves it and would fight to death to protect it, but when he was outside of the city and focused on these high-risk and high-fatality missions he truly forgot about his father, mother and his sister.

''..Itachi, do you like Konoha?''

He tilted his head while he was half-bitten into some meat that neither of them cared what it was. He gnarled into the meat and pulled it off the skewer and proceeded to chew it.

''..I do. I love it. I would do anything to protect it.'' – Itachi's words sounded serene.

''..I see.'' – Naruto looked at the night sky, riddled with stars. –''Want to do the other jobs?''

Itachi nodded. They both got up and just barely managed to pull up the masks when they felt something.

A missing nin jumped from behind rammed his blade trough Bird's side. He arrogantly on looked as his 2 partners did the same to Dog and Weasel.

Bird turned around and fell to his knees holding onto his side, as blood and organs were pouring out.

The missing nin grinned at him. –''I though you masked fuckers are stronger than this! This is no fun. ''

Suddenly, the previously shaking Bird looked up at the missing nin, now completely calm.

''Wipe that shit eating grin of your face.''

The missing nin widened his eyes as he noticed something coming out of Bird's mask's eyeholes.

It was something black like tar, something beast-like, something putrid. He narrowed his eyes as the thing squirmed out of the eyeholes. – It was a bird. A tar-black crow, to be exact.

The crow looked at him with his eerie red-glowing eye as Bird's whole body turned into crows and they dispersed. The missing nin stepped back and with the corner of his eye noticed that the same happened with Weasel, while Dog's body dispersed in smoke.

Then, when his eyes turned back to the front, he only noticed the edge of a jet-black chokuto.

The Bird's mask was the last thing he never saw.

The missing nin was decapitated, as his head fell down with a thump a few feet behind Bird.

The other 2 missing nin's were taken care of in a similar pattern. The 3 of them shunshin'ed to a tree branch near-by.

Dog's only visible eye was looking calm yet again. –''That crow jutsu is scary as hell, do you know that?''

''..That's the point.'' – Weasel answered, unmotivated.

''Anyways, we need a new spot. The new spot will be about a half-click to east.'' – Squad Leader Dog spoke, as he sniffed the air.

No wonder he that mask, Bird though to himself.

The two nodded, and Itachi spoke –''I'll leave a crow, so the others know, captain.''

Dog nodded –''Don't die on me, kids.''

Dog, a.k.a Kakashi Hatake looked at the two ANBU standing in front of him. Both of them were still kids, barely over the age of eleven. They wore the standart, gray ANBU armor and black pants with straps just below the knee that were tied until the ankle. They both wore metallic arm-guards.

Weasel wore black shirt with sleeves, while Bird wore a black sleeveless t-shirt and metal-enforced gloves that reached to his elbows. On his shoulder was the ANBU tattoo.

Over their backs were swords. On Weasel's back was a regular ANBU tanto, but on Bird's back was his own black chokuto.

Few months ago, when he awaited his two new team members in the Hokage's office and got two kids instead, he thought that Minato-sensei had gone senile, but after hearing his explanation he decided to not bother, and went along with it.

And he wasn't disappointed, but instead, a little bit sad. He had gone trough the ninja system even quicker than them and saw every horror of war there was, but that was precisely because of war, so why would two children be put trough the same horror in times of peace?

Bird and Weasel nodded and Shunshin'ed away, clearing the place where they had been as silently as they could.

Kakashi inwardly sighed. He knew that his teacher's son, Naruto, a.k.a Bird had spent a lot of time with the Uchihas, but he didn't expect for him to make such a turn around in his personality and the way he carried himself, from simply being around them.

To put it simply, he was Uchiha-fied.

Then, he pushed the menial thoughts out of his head and dispersed in smoke.

After all, he had things to do, people to kill.

Days later, the Hokage tower.

It was early morning, as the ANBU unit under the name of ''Ro'' stood battered in front of the 4th Hokage. Their clothes had tears and cuts, their bodies held small scars and burns, but overall, they were in a good condition.

''I believe the missions near the Land of the Wind went well?'' – Minato asked, while writing the usual pile of documents.

''Yes, Hokage-sama. Every single one of them were completed without a single casualty.'' - Kakashi responded, taking his role as the Captain of Team Ro.

Minato noded. – ''Were there any complications?''

''Nothing in particular.'' – Minato raised his eyebrow as he heard that response, so Kakashi continued. –''A unit consisting of 3 missing-nins attacked me, Bird and Weasel while we were in camp, but we disposed of them. They were from the Land of the Wind.''

He nodded, as the pen in his hand started to move faster. –''Anything else?''

''No, Hokage-sama.''

''Dismissed.''

The team of ANBU disappeared.

Minato let out a long sigh. There was trouble with Natsume again. Not that the seal would break in any way or form, but simply overall the amount of chakra she was obtaining from the 9-tailed fox being kept in her was messing with her chakra coils, and at the same time - with her chakra control.

He created a shadow clone to stay in the tower and with the touch to his seal covered kunai, he teleported to a faraway home on the outskirts of the village, where he joined Kushina in care of Natsume.

Naruto went into his father's house.

His footsteps seemed strangely load from the days spent in complete silence, as he moved to the back of the house.

He opened the door of his room, and saw a layer of dust on the table. He let out a half-amused, half-dry chuckle.

He unclipped the armor, and it dropped to the floor. He removed the arm-guards and threw them on the dusty table.

He pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor, near his armor.

He dropped into his bed, and almost instantaneously falling asleep.

The change of pace, the hours of sleeping with a one eye open and the days of being ''alert'' had made him learn a new level of ''tired''.

A level so high, that he didn't even notice that he didn't remove the mask on his face.

...

He was awoken by a banging noise at his window. A black crow was using his beak to hit on the window.

Naruto, groggily got up and streched. When his arm was about to go trough his hair, he felt porcelain under his fingers. He unclasped the mask and put it on the table.

The window opened with a creak, and the small crow landed on his shoulder. He extended one of his legs, and there was a small piece of paper.

Naruto extended his arm and the crow dropped the paper into his open palm.

He opened it and read it.

An hour from now, my house.
You know what will happen if you don't show.

-I. and S.

A smile rose to his face. Of course, Itachi and Shisui wouldn't forget about it.

He took a shower, cleansing his body, only then to remember the stitches on his side and on his left shoulder.

Even though he was a prodigy, he wasn't perfect.

If it was something Naruto had learned, then it was the fact that you shouldn't underestimate ninja.

Any ninja. No matter if they are small and weak looking or old and fat, you just don't underestimate your opponents. And of course, he had used that to his advantage, because if Naruto would pop up on a crowded street with his uniform and the mask, people would most likely think that he was a child playing ninja.

He had a long, good look at his face. He looked like a malnourished 4th Hokage. His cheek bones had slightly sunken in, and he frowned at that, making a note to himself to eat more.

On most missions ANBU ate lightly, as some might say.

He dressed in dark blue pants and a dark blue shirt and some sandals. The only thing weapon-wise he took was his black chokuto, who now was tightly secured in a scabbard on his back.

Naruto sighed, as he remembered the shame he felt in front of Kakashi, when in the middle of a backflip the sword slipped between the ropes and was flung sideways so hard, that it hit an civilian in the head and thus, the civilian had to be hospitalized.

Kakashi never did and never will forget that.

Later, he leaped trough the window and moved above the rooftops, towards the Uchiha compound, which he would feel more comfortable calling home.

He softly landed in front of the compound. He raised his hand to the guards, and they simply nodded with the usual scorn.

Walking inside, he almost crashed into the younger brother of Itachi. He span on his heal and caught the boy. He couldn't have been much older than 4.

''Naruto-nii!'' – He said, as turned around, his eyes gleaming with youth – ''Happy birthday!''

Naruto gave him a deep smile as he ruffled the boys raven-like hair. –''Thanks Sasuke!''

Sasuke brought out his tongue in a childish manner as he fished for something in his pocket. A second or two later, he brought out an seal and handed it to Naruto.

Naruto, understanding it's an storing seal, pumped a bit of chakra in it. A black scarf appeared from it. On a closer look at it, it had a pattern of small white crows on it.

Naruto got on one knee and hugged the boy, who was just a small ball of happiness.

''Do you like it?'' – He asked

''I do. Thanks, ttebayo.'' – He let out the 'ttebayo, which he hadn't used in quite a while. While Naruto was wrapping it around his neck, Itachi and Shisui showed up from around the corner.

''Yo, Naruto.'' – Shisui waved.

Itachi just fist-bumped Naruto.

''It's a good thing you came, brat.'' – Shisui said, with an shit-eating grin on his face. –''We would have used ''that'' to get you, if not.''

Naruto's eyebrows arched into a 'V' form. He leaned closer to his friends and asked in a whisper. –''You'd actually send Anko after me?''

They both nodded.

''I'll always be where you want me, I promise.''

They shared a chuckle, as Mikoto came near him.

''Naruto, happy birthday!'' – She said in an cheerful tone. He then handed a sealing scroll to him. –''Don't open it. Inside, is an Uchiha made fishnet undershirt.''

''..I don't like fishnet, Mikoto-san.'' – He said, unenthusiasticly.

She gripped both his cheeks with one hand as she leaned closer. The easiest way to describe her voice would be an delinquent. –''Listen to me, young man. You will wear the fishnet that is almost like an chain-mail on your ANBU missions, or I will make it so you will never be able to do them again.'' – Her voice turned to her normal, kind tone – ''Did I make myself clear?''

When Naruto recovered from the fright, he answered. –''Yes, m'aam.'''

She smiled. –''Alright, have fun boys. C'mon, lets go, Sasuke, lets leave the big boys alone.''

He pouted –''But I'm a big boy too!'' – And with that, the boy ran to hide behind Itachi.

Or at least, he tried. Mikoto Shunshin'ed in front of the boy, and pulled him away by the ear.

Naruto could only on-look the antics.

''Ya know Itachi, your mom is really scary sometimes.'' – Naruto scratched the backside of his head.

Itachi stood there, with sweat pouring down his face and chuckling nervously.

''Itachi, let's give him our present, shall we?'' – Shisui said.

Itachi recovered and nodded.

'' Henge no Jutsu!'' They both exclaimed, as they both made a single ram handsign.

There, after the smoke settled, two, exactly the same purple haired kunoiichi stood in front of Naruto.

They used a henge to look like Yūgao.

The difference being Yūgao in a swimsuit. Two, different, revealing swimsuits. They both made poses to show off the body.

''Hey, Naruto-kun~ Do you like me?'' – The henged Shisui spoke in a girlish voice.

Naruto blushed and turned away, only to hear another girlish voice.

''You two will die a pain-ridden death. By impaling.''

The voice was scarily familiar. It was Yūgao. Only this time, the real one. The henged Shisui disappeared in a puff of smoke, as a her sword stabbed trough his neck, and as she span around to decapitate Itachi, he dispersed in crows.

She sighed, as they appeared behind Naruto.

''Yo, Yūgao-san.'' – Naruto said, in a cheerful manner.

She hugged the boy and whispered into his ear. –''Happy birthday, brat.''

Naruto blushed slightly from the affection of the older girl. She whipped out a scroll and handed it to him.

He opened it and skimmed it.

''It's an old scroll of kenjutsu. There are good tips and tricks in it.'' – She rubbed the backside of her head. –''I didn't really know what to get you, but well, this is all I could think of.''

A wide grin appeared on Naruto's face. – ''Thanks, Yūgao-san! You know, the present doesn't matter, really, the though of you remembering my birthday is what counts, 'ttebayo!''

She smiled at the simplicity coming from Naruto. Not many shinobi from an family like Naruto weren't spoiled. Naruto rolled the scroll close and strapped it to his back.

''Naruto.'' – Itachi moved the attention to him. He pulled out a scroll of his own. –'''This is our real present.''

Naruto took the scroll and opened it.

Katon:Fire release.

The basics and fundamentals in depth for non-naturals.

''This is...the fire release jutsu..'' – Naruto blinked, widely.

Shisui grinned. –''It is. And you better be thankful, we both spent a lot of time gathering information about fire release for those without the fire affinity. '''

Naruto gulped. –''But this, is it really allowed for me to use your clan secrets? Fire release is one thing, but these fire techniques are another.''

Shisui exaggeratedly threw back his hand. –It's fine, it's fine, Naruto. Probably.''

Like that, Shisui received a blow to his face from Itachi.

He smiled – ''It is fine. You are basically an Uchiha anyways.''

''Thanks.'' - The boy gave a nod together with a smirk. Naruto started reading the scroll, as the two other boys moved closer to explain things.

While the boys were focused on the scroll, Yūgao walked around them and hugged both Shisui and Itachi by their necks. She was using all her strength to push her elbows closer, but the boys didn't budge.

She let them go and sighed. –''This isn't fun anymore. You Shisui were always above me, but now even Naruto can beat me, plus, you all are ANBU.'' – She sighed again, only this time, exaggeratedly. –''I want to cry.''

Hearing those words, Naruto closed the scroll and pushed it between his sword and his back. – ''Let's go to a cafe, Yūgao-san. I only turn 12 once, isn't that right?''

A smile overtook her face, when Naruto fell for her trick once again. He was a real softy when it came to friends.

The group of 4 moved towards an cafe, with all eyes on them. It wasn't usual that Itachi, Shisui and Naruto would show themselves, and meanwhile, Yūgao was the center of fangirl angry scowls.

In the cafe, they ate cake and drank sake, which Shisui bought for them.

Shisui The Teleporter was made out to be an serious, and a dangerously powerful ninja. He was the later part, only not the first one. He was a goof when time allowed, he played pranks and joked with a wide grin on his face.

The Uchiha clan, of course didn't allow such attitude out in public, so the only ones who knew were few close Uchiha's, Naruto and Yūgao, who had become a pretty regular friend of theirs.

She at first looked up to Shisui, but understanding his real self, she rethought her idols.

It was a weird combo, if you thought about it and Yūgao understood that. She knew that the fact she was sitting at a table and laughing while holding her stomach about the jokes of Itachi and Shisui Uchiha and Naruto Namikaze was something abnormal, but of course, she wouldn't trade it for the world.

''Yūgao-san? What's wrong?'' –Naruto asked, as he noticed the vacant stare of her's.

''No, nothing. I was just thinking how I'm lucky to be your friend. I'm nothing special, unlike you.''

Naruto scowled, while Itachi and Shisui smiled, understanding.

''Listen here, Yūgao-san. If you too, think of me nothing more than the ''Son of 4th Hokage'', then I'll be really disappointed in you.''

She glared back at him. – ''No, you stupid kid. You are special because you are an prodigy, Naruto, and it was all you, you trained your ass off to become like this.''

''You really do like to hold my young age above my head, don't you?''

She grinned, arrogantly. –''Of course I do, shorty.''

Naruto pouted, as he closed his eyes, now he just looked aloof, something among the line of Kakashi. –''Sorry, I snapped like that, I just...''

''I know.'' – She smiled –''Cheer up, it's your birthday.''

He smiled back, and they drank more sake.

Naruto, surrounded by his best friends, managed to push the thought of his family out of his head.

His friends, who were almost like a family, was here, and they hadn't forgotten his birthday.

Yo. How are you doing on this evening? Or morning? Or whichever, depending on the time you are reading this.

Thanks for the nice reviews, and please do tell if something I write is impossible/incorrect and I'll do my best to correct it.

Not much I can, only that the pairings are undecided, but it will most likely be one of the older girls - Maybe Samui.

But I can't promise anything, things will happen, and when they do, not sure if I can do anything with the two of them.

Be sure to write if you want to add or tell me something.

Until next time.