Disclaimer: The Naruto manga and any related franchises are properties of Masashi Kishimoto. I do not claim any ownership of the material. This is a non-profit work of fanfiction written for the sake of entertainment only. This is the only time I'll post this in this body of work.

Preface (Update, March 2015): This work came into being since I got tired of DBZ levels of power in a story about ninjas, and of reading the same arcs and same overarching plot again and again. The characters are all here, this is Naruto-centric, but I mean to twist the plot about, and bring back the Naruto who relied on trickery and bullheadedness to win. This is also the only time I'll be adding an author's note, because I want this to resemble an attempt at a novel as much as possible, and everything else I post will be story alone. I may clarify doubts over review, but otherwise, treat this as you would normal literature - any seeming mistakes/problems will be addressed over the course of the story, or go down as a loose thread/error. There will be no bullshit '$' or BOLD while speaking, chapter lengths will vary like real books, and you'll find no 'sweatdropping' or 'anime tears', and definitely no author's comments or notes beyond these 300-odd words. I won't feed you the story. You'll experience it. Updates will be slow, since life is hectic right now, but I'll also attempt to improve with every chapter, so any feedback will be appreciated. There - that's the one time I'll say it.

This way, you get my attempt at premium fanfiction, and I intend to push the boundaries when it comes to AU differences. The ninja here don't yell out techniques, kill without impunity, and are masters of deception. Will Naruto survive? Read on.

Arc 1: Initiation

Prologue: Squad Orphan-2

A raised fist. A silent command.

Halt.

Four dark figures appeared on the tops of lantern posts and the edges of terraces, melting out of the darkness like shadowy messengers from the underworld itself. Against the backdrop of a fully waxed moon, they conducted furious conversation with nothing but handsigns.

Arrival. Target inside. Gamma?

A pause.

Asleep. No hostiles in sight.

Perfect. Set up perimeter.

Two of their number vanished immediately, moving acknowledging the command of their leader. Co-ordinating with speed born from hours spent together learning the trade of their kind, they set up viewing points at different angles from the target's house, on the lookout for the slightest deviation from their plan.

Alpha turned his attention to the final member of his squad. Electric blue eyes were fixed on him, the slight creasing of his eyebrows betraying the emotions that his facemask sought to hide.

Nervous?

A shake of the head. Alpha didn't bother to call him out on the lie.

Gear?

A thumbs up.

Move in.

Blue eyes was off in a flash, pushing himself off the railing and vaulting himself neatly through the window on the third floor. Kobayashi Kosuke slept on like all the other people in the inn, unaware that his death had just slipped into the room and was currently attached to the ceiling.

The small ninja crawled above the bed like an overgrown arachnid, carefully running his eyes over the room. The special energy that every member of his profession possessed crept through his veins and out through the tips of his fingers and toes, sticking him to the sloping roof against gravity's fruitless pull.

Reaching into the small pouch on his thigh, he pulled out a spool of dark thread. Slowly, he took his other hand off the wood, until he was hanging upside down. Blood rushed to his head, but he took his time to unroll the thread until it was hanging just above Kosuke's open mouth.

The thread shivered with the gentle breeze from the window, and the ninja spent a long moment staring at the supine figure. He thumbed a tiny vial hidden in the same pouch he'd withdrawn the thread from, playing with the cork with his thumb. His wrist twitched, inching the thread up –

There was a small rushing sound from outside, like the sound of wind through the trees. Kosuke grunted, but didn't wake up. The intruder stiffened, reminded of his fellow ninja outside.

Blue eyes blinked once before glaring back down with renewed determination. He pulled out the vial and eased the cork open, tilting the contents down its length. His hand shook ever so slightly, but he steeled himself.

Small black drops percolated down the line and dropped off the edge, landing neatly in the sleeping man's mouth. Kosuke shifted and mumbled incoherently in his sleep. His mouth opened and closed as his tongue worked inside, lapping up the liquid without knowing what it was.

Satisfied, the ninja quickly reeled the hanging thread back in, his gloves protecting him from contamination. It didn't matter, though, since he'd taken it in small doses himself until he'd become immune.

When he was done, he crept out the same way he had entered, without bothering to spare a glance for the man on the bed whose life was now numbered in minutes.

His squad fell into step behind him as they raced away from the crime scene, leaping and weaving through the shadows. They hid from every lookout even as they hurtled past watchtowers and patrols, unnoticed even as they scaled the walls above the heads of the guards.

Civilization gave way to the thick forestry of Fire Country, filled with trees standing tall and blotting out the moonlight with their thick heads of leaves. They charted a straight course through the branches, boosting themselves with chakra until they were little more than blurs. The leaves rustled and shook around them as they passed, but they were already gone when the occasional animal looked up at the sound. Blue eyes trailed slightly behind the group, his eyes not really seeing the flora in his path.

Alpha pulled them to a stop when they reached a designated clearing. The ground here was painted with invisible glyphs, called seals in their profession, which would activate and form invisible protections around them with a special sequence of hand signs and some chakra. The captain proceeded to do just that as his team went about setting up camp and getting a fire going.

When the flames were crackling merrily and the last of his tents had been set up, they convened at the center. Exchanging small looks, they reached back and pulled off their masks and bandannas as one, exposing their features to the world.

Uzumaki Naruto took a grateful breath of the cool night air, enjoying the feel of the wind against his entire face.

"You hesitated." His moment of enjoyment was cut short by Alpha's deep voice. "Gamma reported everything to me as it happened."

Naruto threw an accusing on the sole female member of their team, who had just let loose her long, dark hair and was shaking her head from side to side. Hyuuga Hotaru, who'd witnessed his moment of doubt by dint of the bloodline limit of her clan, appeared wholly unconcerned and even amused by his indignation.

"Can't have the rookie going cold on us, can we?" Beta, who went by Nishimura Toru, had rubbed him the wrong way ever since the team had taken him on from preliminary training. "How's he going to keep up if he stutters on the first kill?"

Alpha's eyes flickered to his second-in-command, but he didn't agree outright with the large boy. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Naruto, and waited silently for an explanation.

Naruto found he didn't have one. He looked back into Alpha's golden eyes, which had earned him the name of Kohaku, and hated the disappointment he found there.

Alpha had taken a special interest in him eight months into the reserve ninja camp, even pulled him from basic several times to run simulations with his team. He was the only one who didn't laugh nowadays when Naruto repeated his dream of being a kickass ninja, even after he'd washed out of the genin program and ended up with the reserves.

Right now, as he met Kohaku's expectant look with nothing but empty excuses which lodged halfway in his throat, Naruto felt like his dream was crumbling within his fist. How could he explain the horror he'd experienced, looking down at the innocent civilian's face, when it was explicitly stated in the ninja guidebook that no nin was to back down in the face of death?

"Oh, get it over with, boys," Hotaru's voice broke the silence stretching between the two of them. "You've had your fun. Just hand him the headband and welcome him to the team."

Naruto started, and Toru scowled and chucked a clod of dirt Hotaru's way. Kohaku chuckled, and the tension between the group was broken at once. Hope bubbled up within Naruto, but he forced himself not to rejoice just yet –

Metal glinted in the firelight as it flew through the air, loose cotton bands trailing in its wake. For one glorious second, the Konoha leaf symbol shone resplendently in the firelight, and then Naruto had grasped it firmly in his hand.

"We all hesitate the first time," Kohaku told him, as Naruto tied the black strips behind his head. "It's all right to feel bad." The cotton fell into a solid knot at the back of his head, and he felt the familiar weight for the first time since his disastrous jounin test. "But this is your life now. This is who we are. Born of the shadow, children of dead parents, castaways of society. Can you rise past it and stand with us?"

He held out his fist, and Naruto examined the metal plates on his knuckles for a moment. Then he grinned shakily and placed his own against it.

Kohaku nodded. "Welcome to Squad O-2, Delta."