When Naruto opened his eyes, he was immediately on the defensive as he rolled out of his bed in order to dodge the kunai that came slashing where his throat once was. The figure threw out their hand and from the sleeve of their overcoat, a multitude of snakes erupted. They were poised to strike him down, mouths open and fangs exposed. Acting on pure instinct, he jerked his right hand over his face.

"Ninja Art: Murderous Grasp." Wire strings sliced through the serpents with ease, causing blood to rain down of the blonde-turned-redhead.

Already the kunai was back in motion, coming down on him in a swift stabbing movement. Timing his reaction carefully, Naruto grabbed the silhouette's wrist and went to pin them, but they were unnaturally flexible and were able to maneuver their body as though they were a serpent. The faint scent of dango invaded his nostrils as he was forced to use the substitution technique on his pillow. How was he going to get out of this? There was no time to ponder the question as the person was once again moving quickly. Once again he jerked his right arm in a seemingly spasmodic motion, when a massive needle-like longsword flew into his hand just in time for him to parry the kunai. A swift kick to the gut sent the person back a couple of feet, just long enough for him to use one more technique to get them out of his house.

"Passing Fang," With the Nuibari held in a reverse grip, Naruto leapt at the silhouette as he began spinning at speeds that made him appear to be a twister. He slammed his spinning body into them, sending both of them out of his bedroom window.

The crash of shattering glass was more than enough to wake up the members of the ninken of the Inuzuka clan, as even now some members were exiting their homes, prepared for battle. Because their clan head offered him a place to live within the clan's compound and the singular fact that their canine companions were drawn to the former blonde, the members of the bestial clan considered him one of their own.

The full moon hung high in the cloudless night sky, stars peppering the dark void above. It was underneath this light that he recognized Anko Mitarashi; her pupil-less brown eyes burning into his own heterochromatic eyes. She was wearing her usual outfit, but his eyes were focused on her tensing body. He knew of this woman because she was one of the three women that were best friends with his sensei. Together with Yugao-sensei, Kurenai-san, and Hana-chan, the four made a group of the most powerful women in Konohagakure; mess with one, mess with all. That notion didn't explain why the village's resident snake summoner was attacking him in the middle of the night. Regardless of the reason, Naruto knew that he only survived this long because she was more than likely expecting him to either be too unskilled to contend against her or because she was aiming for an assassination. Too bad for her, he began his second month of training with Yugao.

He released a low series of grunt, barks, and growls which prompted two members of the clan to run off in different directions. With another growl, the other members backed away, though only slightly. It was as if they were ready to jump in the first sign of danger to the boy. With his focus razor sharp, he rushed her. Anbu taijutsu, the rare times that it came down to it, consisted of rapid strikes to the joints of the body and crippling takedowns; slams and pins executed so that the target would be too dazed to protect against the killing blow. So when Anko dodge his sloppy jab, he was unbothered, bending his arm slightly to deflect the jab she sent to his elbow. He winced at the power packed into the blow and realized that he couldn't hold back. The duo traded blows, neither seeming able to land a decisive strike and even as Naruto unconsciously slipped into the signature taijutsu style of the Inuzuka clan, it only seemed to get worse for him.

He had forgotten that Hana was one of her best friends, just that quickly. Meaning that she was one of the few that could outright overpower the Four Legs style. Within seconds, Anko was straddling the shirtless boy with her hands around his throat. The Inuzuka clan members were about to step in and end the woman's life when Naruto stopped flailing suddenly.

Rinnegan active, he found himself gripping her wrists, draining her of chakra that he was channeling to his lungs to keep himself alive. He may not have been afraid of death, but this bitch sure as hell wasn't going to get the kill. After a couple of minutes, he felt her grip loosening until he could drink in the sweet, sweet oxygen. Even still, he didn't stop. Naruto Uzumaki broke her grip, and wrapped his own right hand around her throat as he continued to drain her of her chakra. Now she was on her back, at his mercy and he was looking down coldly at her. It wasn't until he felt or more to the point, tasted, something sour in her chakra that he decided to just end the altercation.

There was a small voice at the back of his mind, the one that named his 'Human Path', that decided to name this one 'Preta Path'. A weird name, but he didn't care as he switched to his Human Path and placed his hand on her shoulder. He felt the weightless mass that was her soul and without hesitation, he ripped it out. Anko fell to the ground, flailing and screaming as she clutched at where her former master marked her with the Cursed Seal of Heaven. Rather than release the soul to the Shinigami, he took it into himself and was instantly bombarded with knowledge, memories of inhumane experiments and deeds of such pure evil, Naruto couldn't help but stagger. While it was true that in their world of shinobi definitions of good and evil were very skewed, the things he watched this man do were just beyond what he might have ever done. One name was whispered into his ear as the man's knowledge settled into his brain for a later time.

Orochimaru.

Within seconds, Tsume was on the writhing woman, her claws poised to tear out her throat. A hand stopped her. When she turned her feral glower, she was met with the stern countenance of the Sandaime Hokage. He looked down on a barely conscious Anko and then to a bleeding Naruto who seemed to be healing before their eyes. The members of the Inuzuka clan dispersed as the Hokage picked up the fallen woman and took her to the hospital with Naruto and Tsume following behind him. Hana's friend or not, Anko Mitarashi was no longer welcome into the Inuzuka clan compound.

The sole snake summoner of Konoha hadn't been in a good mood for the past three weeks. How was she to know that the brat saved her best friend from a fate worse than death at the hands of a group of less than savory civilians? Though, it made her feel even worse since it was her fault that Kurenai was drunk to the point that her finely honed chakra control was shot. Add on the fact that Anko herself left after spotting one of her favorite boytoys. This whole situation was her fault, there was another thing. His eyes, one an alluring blue while the other was a seductive violet, changed. Both eyes lost their unique heterochromatic trait in favor of becoming a solid purple with multiple concentric rings emanating around the pupil. He drained her of nearly all her chakra. That wasn't even talking about the small fact that her curse mark was gone.

When Anko woke up two days after the altercation, she no longer felt the constant burning of her Cursed Seal of Heaven. Her first instinct was to get up and go check on it. Surprise and fear mounted when she saw that it was gone. Fear gave way to bliss, and surprise blurred her eyes with unshed tears. Whatever that brat did freed her from that bastard's grip.

It was why the Tokubetsu Jonin was on her way to the training ground her friend usually took her apprentice. Though she was going to see him to apologize and thank him for what he did for her, she remembered that he was able to throw her off her guard more than once during their little skirmish. Resolving to err on the side of caution, she moved with the intent of heading to Training Ground Ten, but was stopped by an Anbu that informed her to report to the Sandaime at once.

"Focus."

Though her voice was quiet, the amount of authority in the voice of Yugao Uzuki was more than enough to rip Naruto from the grips of his conscious mind and pry the hands of reminiscence from around his throat. He noticed the chakra metal of her blade a little too late for his liking and bent backwards in a show of unnatural flexibility in order to avoid being bisected by his sensei. In retaliation, he loosed a series of deliberate thrusts with his own sword. Yugao deflected the strikes with an ease that was born of a thousand repetitions. With his mind back in their training session, the master and student sank easily into a comfortable back and forth with their respective swords. The repetitive clang of clashing swords was something that had become something that inspired peace within the former blonde.

After three more passes, Naruto disengaged from his sensei. The day's training was going to be an easy one; just the usual kenjutsu practice and a spar. Yugao didn't allow him to stay away for long as she rushed the boy with a finesse that was all her own. Blocking the lateral strike, the former blonde threw up his left hand before disengaging again. Nothing happened. The kunoichi was in the process of questioning her pupil's gesture before something caught her eye. Threads, barely visible even in the light of the shining sun, were wrapped haphazardly around the blade of her sword. Clever. She called the spar. The threads went slack at once before disappearing into the eye of the needle-blade.

Sliding his weapon into the customized sheath which rested diagonally on his back, Naruto walked easily toward his protector-turned-sensei. Her smile was radiant, her dark eyes shining with the same pride of a mother watching her son grow. The previous two months spent under her tutelage had been some of the most intense of his life. The first thing the duo did when Yugao was introduced as his sensei was test his elemental affinity. Due to his less-than-stellar record during his time at the Academy, Yugao wasn't at all surprised when he began asking a multitude of questions. The former Anbu wasn't upset at his lack of knowledge, however, since he seemed to be taking everything in as though he needed to ask such things in order to survive. He wanted to learn. After the explanation, Naruto nodded and remained silent as the purple haired kunoichi before him held out a small, square sheet of blank parchment. He took it, and when she instructed him to pour his chakra into it, he obeyed.

Both shinobi were surprised to discover he was blessed with an affinity for all five of the basic nature elements. Such a discovery was taken to Hiruzen at once, who was also known for his mastery of the five basic chakra natures. He hypothesized that it had something to do with his new eyes, as was his newfound chakra control. What was once comparable to a raging whirlpool that threatened to drag all who came to close into the depths, had become a steady lake whose depth was fathomless. Be that as it may, Yugao drilled chakra control exercises into Naruto since their first meeting, and every meeting since then they practiced when they first met and when they would part ways for the day. Chakra control exercises had become so ingrained into Naruto, he would often practice at home or during his physical exercises.

Next came the jutsu. Something else that happened on their first day together was the field trip to the jutsu vault that was located at the center of the second floor of their library. Two jonin were on guard at all times, so Yugao had to show her ID in order to get her and her student inside. His first mission was to find two jutsu of every nature to learn; of course, the woman would help him, but she wasn't just going to pour arbitrary jutsu into the lad's head. He surprised her by also grabbing a single genjutsu scroll, though this was due to the fact that he already had a genjutsu copied down from the scroll that night. The unique combination of his insane chakra reserves, his tenacity, and his hundreds of shadow clones granted him an ease in learning the jutsu he chose, as well as the other skills he was taught.

Now for his dojutsu; the Rinnegan, as the Sandaime called it, was some a dojutsu that was said to bring out either destruction or creation. At first, it didn't make sense to the former Anbu, so she continued to dig through Konoha's archives. What she found wasn't much in terms of realism, the hopes she had for finding something grounded in practicality were shattered when she read the passages that were so rooted in the abstract world of myth. The Saṃsāra Eye, as it was apparently called in translation, was said to appear in times of disorder as a gift from the gods. Those that were blessed with the Saṃsāra Eye were destined to either become a God of Creation that spread peace and calm over the world, or a God of Destruction that would render the world barren. That excerpt scared Yugao a bit, but she was determined to help her student remain in the light.

Apart from the myth regarding his eyes, she found that he was discovering more and more of his abilities. Like Byakugan, he could see one's chakra and its flow as well as invisible barriers, such as the one that surround Konoha to warn of intruders. Unlike the Hyuga's dojutsu, however, he couldn't see through obstructions. Oddly enough, the master-student duo had the feeling that the surface of what he could do hadn't even been scratched.

"Sensei?" his voice was little less than a whisper.

In the Anbu, to speak in one's normal tone was likened to shouting since everything that was to be communicated was done in whispers or via Anbu sign language. With the permission of her Kage, she taught Naruto the alternate method of communication. Taking to the alternative way of communication immediately, he would often speak to her via hand gestures, just as she would relay instructions silently.

"Yes, Naruto-kun."

He looked slightly bashful, though his face remained the same stoic mask it had been since his resurrection. "Do you...uh, do you think I'm ready for another mission?"

Before she could answer, an Anbu in a bird themed mask dropped into the training field. "Yugao-san, Naruto-san. Hokage-sama has requested your presence at once."

The trip to the Hokage's Mansion was one that was full of tension, and the master could feel her student radiating nerves. They had already been on a C-Ranked mission wherein they were supposed to eliminate a group of bandits. It was Naruto's second kill, but it hit him as though it were the first. In the end, he froze and Yugao had to pull him out of a tight spot. From that point, he resolved to be better. After what felt like and hour, but was actually five minutes, they were standing in the Sandaime's office. Unfortunately for Naruto, they weren't the only one's there. Anko, her usual shit-eating grin in place, greeted Yugao in her usual boisterous manner before they pair bowed before the God of Shinobi.

"Ah, good morning Yugao-kun, Naruto-kun." the Sandaime smiled, though it faded as they got to business. "I have a B-Ranked mission for you both. Team Kakashi's mission has gone south, and they require assistance to deal with the Missing-Nin that has shown up. You both are to leave with Anko Mitarashi within the hour. Do not fail me."