Chapter One

In which there is politics, and a bit of emotional black mail.

Kakashi stared the old man in the eye. "If you want my best, you can have them, but keep in mind, Dumbledore-san, they are Shinobi, veterans of war, warriors and soldiers. They do not tolerate weakness of any kind. Treat them with respect, and they will treat you with the same. Pity them or attempt to commandeer them ... Well, let's just say, I won't be held accountable for their actions."

The wizard chuckled, straightening his beard with a withered, wrinkled hand. "I understand, Kakashi-san. They are highly skilled and should be treated as such, and they are solely under your command. Believe me when I say we will look after them."

Kakashi sighed, feeling more exhausted than he had since the end of the war nearly three years ago. He looked down at the three files laid down on the desk between them, each one a mission and psych records of his three best Anbu. Kakashi pushed them in front of Dumbledore. "Luckily for you, Konoha is in a time of peace and can spare her Elite. A few years ago, we would have had to turn you away." The younger man murmured, more to himself than the other. Dumbledore seemed to understand that this was not directed to him and remained quiet, though he allowed himself to ponder over what the other male had meant.

Noticing that the wizard had finished with the folders, Kakashi said, "If you are satisfied, we can get the contract signed and bring them in."

In reply, Dumbledore wordlessly supplied a writing quill from seemingly nowhere, ready to - although not quite sure - sign a contract that would legally bind him to three lethal soldiers for the next year. Various vaults in Gringotts would have to be drained to afford this, but no complaints had been voiced by the Order. All understood how vital this mission would be. Harry Potter needed protection. Hogwarts needed protection. The galleons paid were a small price compared to what it could be.

As the old wizard completed his signature with a flick of his quill, Kakashi signaled into a darkened corner of the office. "Stag!" He called. A tall man stepped out of the shadows, clad in black beneath white armor. His face was hidden behind a white porcelain mask, painted to depict a deer.

Dumbledore was impressed. He had not sensed the other presence in the room, or heard him move. He knew, however, that this was most likely a power-play. A flaunting of what Konoha had, and a reminder of what they could do. A warning, should the Wizarding world dare to cross them. Dumbledore was neither frightened nor insulted. He understood that this was merely politics, and he had no intentions of abusing the contract in front of him.

The shinobi knelt down besides Kakashi. "Hai, Hokage-sama?"

"Bring me these operatives." He ordered, tossing the folders to the Anbu, who caught them effortlessly.

"Hai."

The Anbu disappeared.

"Now, we wait."

Across the village, in the Anbu Headquarters, a red headed woman sat by herself in the Captains' lounge. She was seated stiffly at the table, watching those around her joke and mingle from behind her mask. She didn't want to be here, but it was an unspoken rule in the Corps that every now and again, any Anbu captains that weren't deployed met downstairs and relaxed; took the opportunity to complain about missions and clients and anything else that irked them at the time. It was usually around this time of the month that she had a convenient "mission" that took her far away from draining events like these.

Maybe she could sneak out while nobody was looking...

She liked that idea. There was a small window to her left she could easily slip out of before anyone could notice. She could be over the fence on her way to glorious ramen before they knew it. She was about to put it into action when a large, male hand thumped down heavily on the table before her. The red haired girl cursed, looking up at the man before her. He was unmasked, tanned. He was probably considered attractive to normal woman her age, with dark brown hair and mischievous brown eyes to match. She noted the red triangles on each of his cheeks. He was an Inuzuka. No doubt a branch member, judging by the way he tried to convey his dominance, with a hand perched on his hip, leering down at her. Main branch members don't have to act dominant. She thought idly. They are natural predators. The dominance is just there.

"Hey there, beautiful." He said, raking his eyes up and down her frame. He made a low sound deep in his throat, apparently enjoying what he saw.

"For all you know, I could look like your dog's rear end." She said, pointing to the large black nin-dog sprawled besides the couch, "You never know what's under these masks."

He grinned at her, leaning down further into her space. "Well I guess not. But only pretty girls speak boldly like you do. More confidence, you know?"

"I'm not confident. Tolerant, sure, but that's not exactly a pretty girl's quality."

HIs smirk disintegrated into an annoyed frown. "If you took off your mask, I'd know for sure."

Behind her mask, the woman rolled her eyes. Could this idiot be anymore obtuse? Remove her mask? Yeah right. Not even if he put a kunai to her throat. In the few years she'd had this mask, she'd only removed it in her own home, away from the prying eyes of curious civilians and shinobi. And she had hardly ever gone home. The Kages had abolished many of the archaic rules regarding the shinobi ways, but the Hokage was firm in keeping elite shinobi anonymous, especially since many ninja - like her - believed they had lost their identity in the war.

"No can do, buddy. It's the second Anbu directive. Right after the one that says the Hokage's word is law. I'm pretty sure he's the one that said that an Anbu mask is to be worn at all times." She clucked her tongue in annoyance, turning in her seat so that her back was positioned to him.

"Look, I'm just trying to do you a favor." He sneered darkly. "No one knows you. As far as we know, you belong to no clan. You've never been to the academy. You have never been part of a Genin or Chuunin squad." He stalked around her chair until he could bend into her space. His brown eyes demanded an answer. Who is this girl?

If only he knew.

"What's your point?" She was getting annoyed pretty quickly, and a voice inside her head was urging her to hand him his ass already so she could leave, but she felt his temper boiling beneath his pushy demeanor. His Chakra pulsed to the beat of it. This had probably been bothering him for months.

"My point is that because no one here knows who you are, no one here trusts you." He said simply.

She looked around the room slowly, noticing that the chatter had seized. There were nearly forty Anbu in the room, most of which were unmasked, all of which were silent and pointedly not looking in their direction had probably been eavesdropping for a while now, she concluded, irked.

She knew that after the war, trust had been a major issue throughout the Elemental Nations, and her enigma-like presence had not been well accepted. Popular rumors suggested that she was perhaps a refugee who had found asylum here after the war. Speculation considered her to be from Mizu no Kuni because of her red hair, but Mizu had no academy to have produced such a fine ninja, and her fighting style - one heavily based on Kenjutsu - suggested Kumo. At first, they had tried to welcome her into the Corps, had fought to dig up whatever comradeship they had after the war nearly three years ago, but the kunoichi didn't want to show the same in return. She pushed them away with a cold shoulder, preferring to keep herself and her identity separate from the prying eyes of the Anbu, and climb the ranks of the Hunter Division. She left a chasm between herself and the other operatives...

For a moment, she felt insulted at their lack of trust. Without her, the war would have never stopped. Madara and Obito would have had them all wrapped around their slimy Uchiha fingers, and they, Konoha's Elite couldn't trust her? She had saved all these lives and they didn't even know it...

In the back of her mind she heard his chuckle; a deep rumble like thunder after lightning. That's what you wanted, wasn't it? To fade into anonymity. She hated it when he was right, which was becoming more and more frequent these days. Reap what you sow, Kit.

It isn't like she needed a reminder.

Turning her focus back to the matter at hand, she shifted back in her chair, leaning until the frame was on a tilt. She kicked her feet up on to the table to keep herself from toppling. With flippant air she said, "Good. You shouldn't trust me."

Sasuke rounded the bend in the corridor, annoyed.

The mission to Mist had been successful, if not taxing, with the constant rain hindering his tracking skills and progress. The task had been simple; to track down three Shinobi rebelling against the Allied Shinobi Forces, capture them, and deliver them to Mist Hunter Nin for interrogation and punishment. Little did he know that these three were masters of hiding and water jutsu, two traits that thrived in Water Country. The fight had left him in drenched armor and a foul move. All he wanted to do was eat in the Captains' lounge and have a warm shower before he filed his mission report and headed home.

The Uchiha had just turned the last corner with his ears picked up on the muted shouts and familiar ring of steel against steel. He sighed, inwardly vowing death to those who disturbed his peace and were quickly giving him a migraine.

One of his lieutenants stood outside the door of the lounge, looking both put out and unsure, his Badger mask hanging from his belt. The brunette's expression quickly turned into one of relief when he spotted the Uchiha.

"Commander!" Badger cheered, saluting him. Sasuke looked at the door between them suspiciously.

"Are they playing-" his sentence was cut off by what could have been glass shattering against the door, "-cards again?" The last time the higher ups of Anbu had played, everyone's wages had been docked by ten percent to cover the damages made to the walls and furniture. The hell if Sasuke was paying for that shit again.

The lower Anbu shook his head. "An Inuzuka and a Hunter got into an argument and it escalated when the Inuzuka questioned the trust of the Hunter Nin," He explained.

Sasuke face-palmed his mask. "This happens way too much," He grumbled. "Which Hunter is it?"

Badger shrugged. "The Alpha squad's captain. The red-head that does the storage seals for the T&I unit."

Sasuke frowned. He had occasionally seen the red headed woman slip down the halls in silence, or give orders to her squadron upstairs, but he didn't know her personally. "I didn't know we had any Fūin masters in Anbu." He said, skeptical. After all, the only Fūin master he knew was Naru, and she had disappeared after the war, assumed dead after she had accepted a mission to Tsuchi no Kuni.

His heart throbbed heavily at the last memory he had of the blonde jinchuuriki, although he couldn't remember her words precisely after the two years that had passed. 'Ne, Sasuke? You'll look after yourself now that you're back right?' He chuckled against her neck, the vibrations tickling the sensitive hollow there. 'When I've got you to look after me? Not a chance, dobe.' He pushed the old memory away. Remembering the past would only hinder his new goals and ambitions. He shoved his conscience back into the present.

There was another shrug from Badger, accompanied by a resigned head scratch. "Either way, you should probably go in there before it gets any worse." Sasuke nodded in understanding, pushing past the lieutenant.

Upon opening the door, Sasuke noted several things.

1.) Of the fifteen Captains present, none of them seemed to object to the obvious beating the Hunter kunoichi was delivering to the offending Inuzuka. They sat back in their chairs, weapons sheathed, watching with amused smiles, and even some even cheering for the girl.

2.) Why could he even see their grins, sly as they were? This was Anbu, and masks were compulsory. His eyes narrowed behind his Wolf mask. Words would be had with the slacking soldiers and the Hokage. His mind was already formulating suitable punishments.

3.) He was pretty sure that the only Inuzuka in the higher ranks was Kiba, and he was off-duty now that the Hyuuga girl he married was heavily pregnant. If that was the case, the idiot on the floor shouldn't even be in here, and thus, deserved the beating he was getting for provoking an operative that outranked him.

4.) The Kunoichi that stood above him looked oddly familiar, though completely foreign to him. And that interested Sasuke greatly.

The girl was angry, that much was certain. Sasuke grunted at the strength behind her kick, he'd stopped it with a forearm before she broke the rookie's face in. He felt her Chakra fluctuate, felt her confusion and anger; fading, but only to beneath the surface.

"That's enough". He said calmly.

The Hunter returned her leg to the ground.

Sasuke gestured to Badger by the doorway. "Take him downstairs to Sakura. Ask her to fix the break in his nose and get him cleaned up, and then bring him to my office for questioning." Badger and a by standing Captain stood the Inuzuka up, taking him beneath his arms downstairs. He waited until they disappeared to stand and address the others in the room.

Uchiha Sasuke, or rather, Anbu Commander Wolf, was not happy.

"What is the second Anbu directive?"

No one answered him, deciding to stare sheepishly at each other. He thought he'd have to repeat himself, for which he really wasn't in the mood for, until the red headed Hunter sighed, flopping down into her chair.

"Anbu, in order to protect their identities from enemy ninja must wear their masks at all times. Their true identity is to be known only to the Hokage, the Council, and to others that the Hokage sees fit. Failure to comply will deem you a target in the field. To remove your masks without the order to is unacceptable and is punishable by the Hokage. This is the second directive."

Sasuke nodded; quietly impressed that she'd quoted the first Hokage's Directive to the letter. The other Anbu seemed to understand what he was getting at and quickly concealed their faces, once again assuming their roles as the village's elite, rather than Shinobi, bored in times of peace.

"Don't let me catch you again. If I do, there will be consequences." The Uchiha warned, releasing a bit of his killer intent. He was satisfied with the quick "Hai, Taichou" and his men sweating like taps in their seats.

Honestly, Sasuke wasn't sure when he men had become so soft, but he figured that peace-bored Shinobi were better than some of the older Veterans he had seen; sullen and haunted after the war, paranoid and twitchy beyond repair. For a while he'd been the same, as well as facing slight psychological trauma after seeing his brother again, but he pulled through because he had Naru.

Naru the savior with her reassuring grin, her long blonde hair streaming free and wild, and hips that swayed as she sashayed away, eyes - blue he'd only see only in a stormy sea - that promised mischief and victory. Naru his best friend that always kept him grounded and made him feel wanted, needed and loved-

Naru.

Kami he missed her, not that anyone needed to know that. She was gone now, as impossible as it seemed, and Sasuke had to get a grip; on his memories, his emotions, his sloppy Anbu. He needed control, and what little he had seemed to dwindle each day, each day his men did something stupid, each time the Council tried to dictate their ideas on repopulate the Uchiha clan, each time Kakashi tried to get him to talk. And now he had to deal with Hunters tearing his rookies a new one. Speaking of...

The Uchiha whirled on his heel, his glare fixated on one red-head kunoichi. Her attitude was uncaring, but the way she held her cup - like a sword, or maybe a staff- indicated that she was tense, acutely aware of his presence behind her.

"What's your name?" He asked tersely.

"I'm not obliged to answer," she threw back, peering at him over her shoulder.

Funny, he'd said the same thing once, to a Hyuuga boy - back when he was overly cocky and thought he could take down anyone. He supposed this girl was the same; arrogant, and Sasuke couldn't accept that. Arrogance got people hurt and killed, not to mention it was annoying - surely he wasn't that bad, right? Okay, maybe a little...

His thoughts are interrupted by Stag, bent on one knee between the two shinobi.

"Uragiri-taichou, Ookami-taichou, the Hokage requests your presence immediately for a long-term mission briefing."

Sasuke nodded, Uragiri did the same. They watched Stag disappear again. Before Sasuke could question Uragiri further, she had already followed Stag to the tower.

Uragiri.

Betrayal.

For some reason, the name just didn't sit right with him. He'd do some digging on the operative before he left for the tower.

The tower hadn't changed since she'd last been here. The door was still guarded by two Chuunin, who nodded curtly at her as she ambled past. She had missed how her footsteps echoed strangely in the curving hallways, missed reading the scriptures Sarutobi once lined the walls with. Even the Hokage's office remained the same, at the very top of the tower, a circular room, with only a large ornate desk to fill some space. And like the last time, a graying man sat behind it, hands folded on the table, watching her. She was the first one there.

"Uragiri-san, it's been a long time," the Hokage greeted. "You could've used the window, you know. Everyone else does."

Uragiri folded herself into a bow, kneeling, with a hand over her heart. "Forgive me, Hokage-sama. I thought I no longer had the right." She heard him chuckle, but kept her head lowered. She knew his thoughts, and her face flamed with shame. Somehow, she suspected that Kakashi knew despite the fact that her face was hidden.

While he was glad she had finally come back, even if under orders, there were more pressing matters to discuss. His shift in demeanor was evident, his one-eyed smile slipping into a grim expression. She sensed the change before she saw, feeling her stomach twist in dread.

"Uragiri." Her name was like sharpened steel on his tongue.

"Hai, Hokage-sama?"

"How have you been?"

The question was unexpected. "I've been ... well," she lied. She was miserable and they both knew it, and seeing Sasuke again after avoiding him for so long almost hurt. Her heart felt heavy and her mind was blank. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up.

Kakashi gave her a hard look, but nodded anyway. She suspected that she had just walked into a trap of some kind.

She felt Stag enter the room behind her, melting into the shadows, and another, more familiar presence slip in through the window. What was Sai, of all people, doing here? Not that she was complaining. It was nice to have someone who she'd grown close to in the last few years here.

"Commander Wolf will be here momentarily. Apparently, there was an incident in the Captain's lounge that he needs to deal with before he arrives," the ink user murmured. Uragiri could almost feel the sideways glance he threw her direction. He always knew when she was getting into trouble.

They didn't have to wait long. Wolf came in like thunder, sudden and with a presence. He was still guarded, even after so long and really, Uragiri mused, there was nothing wrong with that. Sasuke was Sasuke, and nothing, not even a war, could change his proud nature.

He bent low before the Hokage, and Sai and Uragiri followed suit, just as an old man entered the room.

Three muggles were kneeling as he entered the room, black cloaks pooling around their knees as they awaited further orders. Their postures were rigid, perfectly still and yet, completely obedient and subservient as the Rokudaime Hokage stood. The silence in the room was stifling, and Dumbledore briefly wondered how the Anbu could stand it, before he reminded himself that these weren't muggles; they were wizards in their own right, protectors of the civilians here and veterans of war to boot.

Dumbledore nodded in greeting and Kakashi responded in kind, his face stony and unyielding; another show of power and control. It was if the man was shouting these are my men, this is what we have, and I am the one who reigns.

Unbeknownst to him, the Shinobi were thinking the same thing. They understood that power-plays were only used when the Hokage didn't trust a client, and in times of peace it was few and far between. But Kakashi had over two and a half decades of experience, and his instincts were sharper than anyone's. If he said he wasn't trustworthy yet, then the Shinobi would do all they could to hint at what would happen if they were crossed.

"Rise."

They did so, but kept their heads lowered.

Kakashi gestured to Dumbledore. "This is Professor Albus Dumbledore."

Sai turned discreetly towards his comrades, and using the standard Anbu sign language said: Foreign name, from outside of the barrier. English, possibly.

They replied with a quick swipe of a thumb over the pointer finger's knuckle. Received and understood.

"Dumbledore-san is the headmaster of a school in Scotland, outside of the Elemental barrier."

The old man stepped forward, and the shinobi couldn't help but stare at the man. He was ancient, with deep lines creasing his eyes and forehead. It was an oddity, old age, and not one often seen in the Elemental Nations. The average lifespan here was sixty and half of that for an active ninja if they were lucky or particularly good. The man if front of them looked as if he had seen too many years, old and tired, but still stood straight with pride and confidence. He was what the shinobi would have called a person of interest, and thus should be treated as a threat until his motives were made clear.

The Sixth Hokage continued. "Should you choose to accept, you will be going on a long term mission to The Outside to protect his school and his students."

Dumbledore watched with interest as the information sank in. The smaller agent, which he assumed was a woman, looked to the man on her left - the tallest of the trio - and seemed to withdraw into herself. Said male's ears pricked up in interest, minutely turning his head to look and his possible client. Dumbledore swore that through the slight slits in his mask he saw red eyes. The other male watched the girl, and if the headmaster didn't know better, he would be sure that he was both familiar with the kunoichi and worried for her. The exchange was interesting. The man would watch them closely.

A long term mission? On the Outside? With Sasuke? Uragiri wasn't ready for this. This couldn't happen. She had resigned herself to forgetting him two years ago. The Uchiha wasn't good for her, after all, and her prosthetic arm was proof of that. Her arm shook with her restlessness, and she felt Sai's eyes on her, searching and worried. She wanted to reach out and ensure him, or better yet, flash him a bright smile like her old self could. But she was no longer the sunny Naru that everyone looked to for reassurance: She was Uragiri, deadly assassin and leader of the Hunter Division. She couldn't reassure herself, let alone Sai. Sasuke was always the one thing that shook her to the core. An unknown enigma. And Uragiri couldn't allow that.

In her distracted state, she'd missed a few things, Sai knew. Like how the mission's pay was more than enough to keep the village afloat for the next few years, or how the old man kept glancing nervously at them. Or how Kakashi mentioned something about wizards. And magic. And a dark lord. And a boy destined to end a war between good and evil. He also saw the way Kakashi looked at them mournfully, unwilling to send them to yet another war. He turned to the client, only to see the old man give a sly smile to Kakashi. The ink master narrowed his eyes. In quick sign he said: Sour client. Cold fire. Rabbit agents. Snake hole?

In other words; Blackmail on the client's part. Hokage can't avoid it. Thinks we can handle it. Should we play along?

Sasuke saw the message and took another look at the old man through Sharingan eyes. Beneath the twinkling exterior was another motive and Sasuke was going to find it. Naru died hoping to see this village tranquil and prospering, and this old man wasn't going to threaten her dream, not if he could help it. He gave an affirmative, and watched the girl next to him do the same after a bit of hesitation.

"Hokage-sama," Sasuke interrupted suddenly. "We accept."

Kakashi nodded, quietly relieved that Sai had worked it out and slipped them a message. His ability to read people was one of the main reasons he had placed the former ROOT member on this team. And his former students ... his heart nearly broke at the thought of them in the same proximity again. He was sure that he'd made the right decision placing them together. They'd always found a way to look after each other, whether they knew it or not and he only hoped that that still applied after all this time. He'd promise Naru to keep Sasuke safe and separated from herself, but she'd understand if it was impossible to do both. He went with the wish that meant more to her.

"Very well. You have two hours to prepare. Replacements have already been assigned to your positions. Rendezvous here at 2300 hours to have your packs checked by Uragiri-san. Wolf, you are the commanding captain. Tiger, second in command. Uragiri, liaison." He handed them each a standard mission scroll, reminding them of the mission parameters and a profile on one ''Potter, Harry.''

"Hai, Hokage-sama." They chorused, and disappeared without even a wisp of smoke.

She'd barely been in her apartment a full minute before he flew through the window in an arch of grace and stealth, pivoting on his feet to face her. "What are you going to do, Naru? You can't hide from him forever."

"I know Sai, dammit." She sighed. "I just hope Kurama's henge and his grief is enough to fool him for a little more." She tucked a piece of her pseudo-crimson hair behind her ear.

Sai shook his head. "If he's anything, it's possessive, and smart." He admitted. "He'll figure it out, Naru, and I won't be able to help you when he does." The artist opened his arms, drawing her into his chest, a pose that had gradually become familiar over time. Comfortable even. Though neither would say it aloud. She pressed her nose deeper into his collar.

"We're no good for each other. I mean, look how far he's come without me? The Commander of Anbu."

"But you're miserable. You always have been when you two are separated."

"...You'd better go home and start packing Sai"

Damn she hated it when he was right.

They'd managed to get to the tower an hour earlier than allowed, after giving brief instructions to their replacements and getting their packs and weapons sealed into the seals Uragiri had painted on their armor. They'd had arrived before the client again, long enough for Kakashi to give them an unofficial mission: gather Intel on the school and the people in it, especially the headmaster and the boy he obsessed over in the mission briefing. Really, they were glad. They were planning on doing it with or without his permission anyway.

The shinobi had just finished sealing their secondary mission scroll into fresh seals when the client walked in, carrying an old boot and a little pile of books. The operatives raised their eyebrows in question, not that anyone could see it behind their porcelain masks.

"Our mode of transport, and dictionaries to help you learn the language of my people. You Hokage has forbidden me from casting any spell on you or charming any objects that might help you learn English. You will have to learn the hard way, I'm afraid." Dumbledore chuckled, and gave them his signature grandfatherly smile. Secretly, he was fuming. The minute he'd cast a spell, the contract would become null and void. This meant neither he nor his staff could cast an interrogative spell or any spell that could potentially affect the ninja physically or mentally. Kakashi was a smart man, but Dumbledore had been playing this game for a long time. Where they were rules, there were also loopholes to exploit.

Each shinobi took a dictionary, tucking the foreign book into their hip pouches. They wouldn't need them for long; Sasuke could memorize the content with his Sharingan, Uragiri had clones and Sai had learned the language to an extent during his time in ROOT. He could learn the rest quickly. Kakashi was sure that a language barrier would not be an issue with these operatives.

"If you're quite ready, Kakashi-san ...?" The headmaster said. The portkey would be activated soon, ready to take them to the Mainland, as it was known here, or rather, Kyoto, Japan. There, they would meet with a local wizard and Floo to the head quarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

The younger man nodded. "Time to go. Good luck, team."

A round of affirmative nods followed, and each of the agents stepped towards the old boot in the old man's grasp. Gingerly, they placed a hand on it, gripping it firmly.

"Is that mold?" Uragiri exclaimed, disturbed. "Oh hell no. That's mol-" She was cut off by a harsh tug to her navel, where she quickly decided to hang on to that damned boot - moldy or not- for dear life. The other shinobi followed suit, and had the boot been living, it would have perished under their fierce grip. There was the pull, and then the room was spinning, slowly at first, then like a spiraling vortex, faster and faster until the room disappeared.

They fell into blackness.

A/N: So that was the first chapter guys! If you liked, please take the time to review even if it's just a smiley face :D Chapters will be perhaps every two weeks, as English is my second language and I need time to translate my stories. If you have any ideas for the plot feel free to leave a review! Big thank you to my Beta and saving grace gunslinger20121. Ngā mihi ki a koe, gunslinger, and big thank you to you for reading!

~ Tempered-In-Fire 😸