The Hood, the Cloak and the Blade

Disclaimer: Don't own anything! No Naruto! No Elder Scrolls! Boo hoo me.

Author's notes: It's my first Naruto fic. Also it's my first crossover fic. 2x virgin here so don't burn alive please.

Chapter 1

A man ran through the passage way, sweat pouring off his skin as he tried to get away from his pursuers. They had started fighting between themselves and he had used that excuse to put as much distance between him and them as possible.

The man arrived at an old wooden door at the end of the passage, a torch sticking out of the wall next to it. The light illuminated the man for the first time in the dark passage and he had to turn his not to lose his night sight. The man looked to be middle age; his body was athletic though it was starting to get a little round around the belly. He wore gray pants and an expensive looking red tunic. His face though was completely concealed by a dark gray cowl he wore on his head. Looking at the strange hood would have thrown most observers for a loop. It seemed to carry history with as well as power. Magic seemed to pour from it as if it were a fountain but still in a subtle way. Its colour was the most obvious trait becomes it didn't seem to have one, shifting from black to dark gray to leaf green as if it was trying to mimic a chameleon camouflaging itself. The design also caught the eye, looking like some kind of fox mask.

The man, who any citizen of Tamriel would identify as the infamous Gray Fox, took a deep breath to calm himself before gazing back down the passage he came from.

"Gods of luck and chance, I would ask your help one last time!" the Gray Fox muttered.

His luck was definitely not with him tonight. The Gray Fox was use to assassins making attempts on his life. It came with the title! But to have the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood himself turn to claim his head was a little extreme for his tastes. Then add in grandmaster of the Emperors Blades who had also been trying to catch him for some time and the Thieves guild leader could only believe that fate herself was conspiring against him this night.

"I Knew I shouldn't have stolen that necklace from that Dunmer witch. She'll have cursed me, I just know it!" the man swore at himself.

The only thing that had saved the Gray Fox thus far was that both very powerful men had decided to also take out each other while going for. So as the famous thief ran around his hidden lair trying to escape death, the deadly fighters kept the other one step behind by engaging in brutal combat whenever they could.

The Gray Fox was grateful for this unlikely gift but knew it wouldn't last long, soon one would kill the other and then be after him and though he knew he could hold his own in battle, he would not like to test it against one of the two most deadliest men in the empire. That was what brought him down to this door. His predecessors had designed this secret hideout with many different escape routes for quick getaways but he knew with these particular hunters he required something a little more 'magical'.

Kneeling down, the Gray Fox started move his hands across the door, looking for the hidden panels that would gain him entry. Quickly locating them, his skilled hands pressed lightly the order that was needed to open the lock. A loud click announced his success and he pushed the door open, stepping inside.

As the Gray Fox entered, his eyes zeroed in on the only piece of interest in the room. An old wooden door frame was propped up on the wall opposite him. To most people it would be just some old door frame that was never given a door; to the Gray Fox it was salvation.

He had 'acquired' it from the tower of an old wizard that lived on an island off the coast. It was the only item he had taken. Everything else the wizard owned was what you would usually find a wizard owning, a potion kit, some enchanted weapons, a drawer filed with potions, many dangerous magical scrolls. The usual.

But this door! This was rare. In fact the master thief thought it could be one of a kind.

He had called it 'The Door to Everywhere and Anywhere'. He called it that because that what it supposedly did. Take you everywhere and anywhere you asked to go. He had tested it out. A few transports to different area of the hideout, one trip to the imperial city. He was whisked there in seconds. The only problem the Gray Fox saw though was that while the door took you were you wanted to go, you had to make your own way back.

Right now however, the Gray Fox was happy to be as far away from this place as possible and wasn't going to be returning any time soon.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of the man's neck started to rise as he felt imminent danger heading his way. The master thief looked behind his shoulder. His heart froze in his chest at the sight behind him.

A man dressed in a black clock with daggers in each hand was heading towards him at a sedate pace. The black clad assassin seemed to almost glide down the passageway, his feet softly grazing the ground as he strode purposely towards the thief.

The Gray Fox swallowed, trying to control the sudden wave of sickness coming from his stomach.

One thing that surprised him was the height of the famous assassin. 'He must be Bosmer. Only a wood elf could be that small!'

Turning swiftly he grabbed the door a started to close it. Unfortunately he was too late, the Listener, leader of the Dark Brotherhood, flew through the air a collided with the thief lord before he could seal himself in.

The Gray Fox let his instincts take over, his hands went up and batted the daggers away before they could connect. Griping the assassins cloak, he shifted his wait so that the two men spun, colliding with the ground, the Gray Fox on top off the Listener. The thief quickly took advantage of situation, raining blow upon blow on the deadly killers head.

For a moment the Gray Fox believed he might be able to subdue his dangerous opponent. That hope was dash when he felt the man under him tense, the muscles across the assassin body all seemed to moves as one and the Gray Fox found himself being launched of his body, making contact with a wall.

Getting desperate, the Grey Fox dug into his limited knowledge of magical spells and released his most powerful stun spell.

The Dark Brotherhood leader was taken by surprise and took the magical stunner straight on the chest, every part of his body froze as if they were covered in ice.

The Gray Fox sighed with relief. He didn't think the spell would work but thankfully luck still seemed to be on his side.

"Alright. Time to get the hell out of here." He said to himself as he turned back to the magical door.

The peace only lasted a few more seconds as the other hunter made himself known by kicking down the entrance to the small chamber.

The Blades grandmaster stood in the entryway looking the image of the secret and feared guardian of the empire. His silver and gold armour shone in the torchlight, the akavir katana in his right hand seemed to let of an aura of deadliness. The man was big for an imperial, an athletic body showing underneath all the armour. His head was covered by a mop of greying brown hair that had not reached his thick beard on his jaw. What made the other two men in the room most cautious were his eyes. They seemed to sparkle with barely contained malice as they surveyed his two opponents.

"It is time for you scum to finally meet your end! You have plagued the glorious empire for long enough. For the Emperor!" The man roared before charging at the nearest target: the Dark Brotherhood leader.

"And things just keep getting better!" the Gray Fox muttered sarcastically as he backed up slowly towards his only hope for escape.

The grandmaster reached the robed assassin, bring katana down in a forward slash that could have cut the other man in half if he hadn't broken free of the stun spell and brought his daggers up in a cross guard. Metal met metal as the two fighters arms shook under the pressure they were put on each other.

The Gray Fox was again thankful that the two other men had begun fighting with each other, giving him the opportunity to escape. As he reached the magical portal his hands went out to press down on the two glyphs at opposite ends of the door frame. With just the briefest of contacts the two magical seals lit up in a blue light and the ancient frame started to vibrate, levitating a meter off the floor. The area that would have contained the door started to light up and small humming sound started to fill the room, much to the pleasure of the thief who knew it had been completely activated.

The Gray Fox turned to see that his two would-be assailment had both frozen at this new development. Smiling to himself, the man couldn't help but rub their faces in it.

"Well gentlemen your visit has been a pleasure. But unfortunately I must leave you now. Places to be, people to meet, lives to live, you know how it is." The man gave a small mock bow before turning and dashing to the magical door.

The two fighters only stared for a moment more before realizing there pray was getting away. They swiftly gave up each other and charged after the thief into the magical light.

The Gray Fox had just passed the door, asking to be sent somewhere safe, when he felt the other two collide against him. Surprise turned to horror when he realized that the magic doorway was only meant for one person at a time and having three men rush in all at once would have very dire consequences. This was confirmed when the soft humming sound the door projected changed pitch into something more along the lines of a screeching banshee. The light that now surrounded all three also start to show signs that things weren't right, shifting from white to red to gray before eventually going out leaving them all in darkness. Then what could only be described as the world moving from under them before they all lost consciousness.

Gaius Marius, Grandmaster of The Blades and loyal knight of the emperor, woke to the sun shining as he opened his eyes. He found himself in a forest clearing, completely different to the cavern like hide he had just been running around in, trying to catch the Grey Fox.

"Damn and blast that thief!" he yelled as he stood up.

The old knight looked around, trying to get his bearings. Working for the Blades for the good part of forty years meant he had training in many different skills including tracking. Unfortunately though he found no sign telling him where he was or where the two men he had been fighting were.

"That doorway?" the man remembered the magic doorway the thief was trying to escape before everything went weird and then he blacked out.

Marius sighed realizing that the master thief must have used some powerful magic to bring him to this place, where ever it was.

Turning, he saw smoke in the distance that indicated a city or town in the area.

Sheathing his prized Akavir katana, he headed off to try and find some to get direction or at least an idea of where he was.

"Konoha?" Marius asked the guard at the gate to the city.

"That's right stranger." The guard said, looking the man up and down. The traveller he was talking to must have come from far away because the strange cloths and accent he spoke with. The man wore a mixture of iron and leather armour. The only piece the guard found familiar on the man was the weapon strap to his side, though even that was strangely designed.

"This is the village of the leaf. Your welcome here but don't make any trouble in the city's walls alright?" The guard stared at the man.

Marius gave a small nod before heading in to the village, he seemed to either not believe the threat or didn't rule the guard as much of an opponent.

The guard looked after the strange man for a few more moments before turning and shaking his head.

"Strange guy."

Marius walked through the streets of Konoha in a dream like state. Where had that thief sent him? This 'Konoha' was as modern as imperial city, in some points even more so. The Blades grandmaster looked up and ahead of him to the mountain in the distance. The faces carved in them must have been some great leaders of the past. Even the architects of the Emperor would struggle to carve a man's head into a mountain face, let alone four! He understood the message being shown. They were powerful.

Marius shook his head to rid him off such unimportant thoughts. He needed to get back home but how could he without some magical device. He knew there wasn't any chance catching the Grey Fox. The man had been eluding imperial justice for centuries, the only reason he had gotten so close was a tip off about the Dark Brotherhood assassination attempted.

The Grand master paused as he realized he'd been walking for the past ten minutes without paying attention to his surroundings. He had walked out of the market area and a street surrounded by quiet, little urban houses.

'How embarrassing' Marius thought as he looked around. 'I'm lost. If the rest of the Blades could see me now...'

The man shook his head as he tried to get his bearing. He needed to find some type of authority figure.

"See ya soon mama!" a young voice called out from up the street.

Marius looked up to see a small pink haired girl closing a house door and start walking down the street towards him. Pink hair?

"Excuse me young lady!" Marius called as she approached him.

Sakura looked at the old man that spoke to her. The first thought that entered her mind when she saw him was that he was big. Possibly the biggest man that she had ever seen. He also wore some funny clothes. They seemed to be made of shiny stuff and they looked really heavy. Sakura wasn't sure if she should talk to this man. Her mama always told her never talk to strangers. But he did look very friendly and he called her a lady!

"Yes mister?" the young girl said to the old warrior.

Marius smiled deeply at the little girl before knelling down to look her straight in the eye. The Armour creaked slightly before allowing the movement.

"Now listen carefully because what I have to tell you is very important." Marius said in a voice that all adult use when they are trying to be serious.

"Like a ninja mission!" Sakura yelled excitedly, her eyes sparkling. She had already been going to the ninja school and was on the road to becoming a ninja but to actually be given a mission had set the little girl's imagination of.

Marius suppressed the laugh that he would have released from seeing the little girl get so excited. Though he wasn't sure what a 'ninja' was?

"Yes. Sort of. So your mission if you choose to accept it is to lead me to the place were the leader of the village is. Ok?"

"You mean the Hokage?" The girl asked, scratching her head in puzzlement.

"Yes." Marius answer though also wasn't sure what a 'Hokage'. 'Why does this place have so many strange words?'

"What's my reward when I complete the mission?" Sakura asked innocently.

This time Marius couldn't suppress the laugh and had to take nearly half a minute to get control over himself again.

"Reward?" Marius asked, amusement glittering in his eyes.

"Your Reward shall be..." he stopped to think what he could a child that was very quickly growing on him if only because of her attitude.

"Your reward is temporary status as trainee Blade." Though the position meant little, especially in a land so far away but it was one of the few gifts the old grand master valued.

"What's a Blade? Isn't it a sword?" Sakura asked, confused.

"A blade is that."Marius nodded. "The Blades are a group like no other. Strong, honourable, dedicated, loyal and above all else they are protectors." The old man said, laying his hands on the small girl's shoulders and looking her straight in the eye.

Sakura looked into the old man's face. She saw wrinkles that came with age, scars that came with battle but she also saw more. In his eyes, his deep brown eyes, there was a warmth and pride there as he spoke of 'The Blades' as if they were the greatest group in the world. She felt a warm excitement from thinking that she was being allowed to join this great albeit secret group (she had never heard of it after all). Sakura swallowed down her excitement before returning the man's gaze and nod slowly.

Marius was taken aback by the look in the little girl's eyes. There was strength in there and passion. She reminded him of a little girl he had... once upon a time.

"Okay! Let's go... sir!" She said making a small bow before grabbing his hand and dragging the old man after her on the way to find the Hokage.

Marius laughed again as the small girl dragged him along. She had a lot more strength then he expected.

The Grey Fox laid down at the wall of an alley as he watched people go about their daily business in the market place.

He had realized that he was in another land when he had first saw the village after gaining consciousness.

He had never heard of Konoha or the land of fire or any of it. The magical door must have worked to well in sending him far away.

'Though.' the thief thought 'at least I still have my life.'

He could be grateful of that. And if he didn't find a way back to the imperial city or even or even back to Tameriel, he could always start a new thieves guild. He had the hood. The thief patted the cowl that laid on his lap.

At this point a yellow and orange flash flew into the ally way and buried itself in a bile of garbage.

The Grey Fox blinked for a moment before looking at the pile that still shift because of the person under it.

"Thief! Thief!" a large, bald man yelled as stopped at the entrance to the ally. He turned and looked at the Grey Fox.

"Did see a little thief run by here? Small boy, blond hair, orange clothes?" The shopkeeper yelled gruffly.

"Blond hair? Orange clothes?" The thief master put on a confused mask.

The shopkeeper glared at him in annoyance before walking on.

"Bloody useless bums!" he growled as he past.

The Grey Fox watched him go, a small smile on his face before he turned to the garbage.

"He's gone." The man said quietly.

The thief lord blinked again as a young boy baring the shopkeeper's description erupted out of the mountain of trash.

"Thanks mister! You really got me out of a scrape there!" The blond boy, the people of Konoha would identify as Naruto the demon fox container, beamed up at his saviour in enthusiasm.

The Grey Fox couldn't help but chuckle. Look the kid up and down he thought he was looking back in time at himself, a young street urchin who barely survived of the scraps he could steal from fat store owners.

"No problem kid. So what did ya steal?" The Grey Fox asked curiously.

Naruto face changed as he scowled at the man.

"I didn't steal anything! I know stealing wrong!" Naruto yelled at the man.

"Then what do you call this?" The master thief smile as he held a large red apple up for Naruto to see.

Naruto looked at the piece of fruit in confusion for a moment before shock exploded from his face as he started to frantically search his pockets.

"Hey that's mine!" Naruto yelled as he tried to make a grab for the apple.

The man tossed the apple to his other hand just as Naruto's hand reached for it.

"Not according to that shopkeeper?!" the thief lord chuckled.

The blonde haired boy grumbled under his breath for a moment before crossing his arms and glaring at the man opposite him.

"Fine!" he snarled angrily.

The Grey Fox blinked in confusion.

"You're not going to fight for it? I'd thought you'd be more stubborn than that."

"I never wanted to eat it!" Naruto exclaimed, looking upset. "I just wanted to take it from him. He didn't want me in his shop."

I'm sorry?"

Naruto looked more closely at the man. He wore strange cloths and seemed to exude an air of sneakiness. Definitely a foreigner.

"You're not from around here?"

The Grey Fox smiled a crafty smile at the boy.

"I am on holiday for an undefined amount of time."

"Huh." Naruto answered back. " Well I'm Naruto and the village hates me so that's why I stole from that guy."

The Grey Fox frowned at that. 'A social pariah huh.' Then a smile lit his face.

"Punishing by stealing?!"

Naruto nodded back.

The Grey Fox laughed.

"I like it!"

The Grey Fox looked the boy over from head to toe. A little energetic, a bit short and his clothes need to go... but he does show some talent and he has the right attitude.

"Naruto?" The Grey Fox looked the boy in the face.

"Yes?" Naruto answered back, confused but meeting the man's stare.

"How would you like me to teach you a thing or two?"

"And who are you?" Naruto asked, an excited feeling spreading through his gut.

The man looked at him for a moment before smiling another crafty smile.

"Just call me Fox."

He moved from tree to roof top to fence to post. Gilding, dashing, jumping, dancing. Like a shadow that had torn from its double an taken flight. He soared, he glided, he dived and he landed. Moving, always moving. Like a force of nature. He always moved. To move was to be free, to be free was to truly lived and to him truly living was to cause death. For he was that. Death. The angel of death. The Reaper. The snake. The scythe and the Boatman. Whatever society saw him as, it never mater for he was always the same thing in the end and the end was his focus, his passion, his absolute. But now even as death he was not all powerful. He knew that now if ever.

He landed on a building roof and looked out at the clear moonlit night sky of this foreign land he found himself in.

It had been four days since he had lost his pray and come to this place. This Konoha. Were men like him patrolled the streets in dozens. Were the occupation of stealth had been taken and mass produced.

The man sneered at the supposed assassins and agents. These 'Ninja'. Over power and no originality. He had seen their spells. There jutsus. It had disgusted him. They had taken the art out of it. The business of death. They had taken the art out of it and the beauty. They had taken his art and made it mundane. Standard. No individuality. No style. It was all hand signs and missions and job. There was no tradition, no worship and what struck the master assassin worse, no fear. These people. The civilians expected them to run around and do the jobs of lesser men and servants, to wait on then hand and foot and it disgusted him.

The Dark Brotherhood's listener gathered his cloak about him and took of once again.

He was not sure what to do now. He knew he was in a distant land. He could not recognize anything here and he could not hear the Night Mother. Thankfully he could hear Sithis. Thank the night he could still hear Sithis. Unfortunately Sithis was choosing to be very quiet at the moment. A sign he had to stay in place but he was not sure why. So he had kept to himself. He had not found the Grey Fox, nor did he expect to, though he easily found the Blades grandmaster. The older man had allied himself for the village and was already doing minor work for them. The Assassin also took note that the old warrior was living with a family and spending time with the young daughter of the house. The listener saw how they spent time. It looked to all like a little girl spending time with her grandfather.

That had amused the listener. Until the images reminded him of a time when he was not a servant of the night. When he was young and had a family. When he was innocent and went by the name Lucius Sulla instead of Listener and could still walk in the light.

But that was the past. Another time many, many years ago.

So he wander during the night, watching, waiting, dodging these parlour tricksters called ninja and waiting for Sithis to grant him a sign.

Like just now.

The Listener paused as he came to a part of the village he had not been to yet. The houses were slight disrepair though the damage seemed recent. Windows were boarded up and the street was littered in debris. There was also a smell to the place, the assassin noticed. The smell of Death and pain and tragedy.

The Listener stopped at the edge of the roof. Looking, smelling, waiting.

Then he saw it, sensed it rather. The feeling of life. The presence of another living being. Slowly and softly, the assassin leapt from the roof and landed on the street without making a sound. He quickly dove for cover, tucking himself into one of the shadows coming from the silent buildings. He crouched down before moving swiftly towards the building he sensed life, moving with a grace few humans could hope to match.

He entered the large building, immediately finding himself in a shadowy hall. He pressed himself close to the walls as he moved forward.

There was a creaking sound and the assassin stopped dead, not moving a single muscle. From the doorway at the other end of the hall a boy appeared. He had dark hair and wore a blue shirt with the symbol of a red fan on it.

The assassin stood still as the boy walked to the middle of the room. Then the boy spoke.

"I know your here." The dark haired youth said quietly.

The master assassin eyes opened slightly at the prospected of him being found by a little boy. It was both impressive and terrifying.

"I know your here." The boy said more loudly. "You're on Uchiha land. Show yourself."

Quietly the assassin walked out of the shadows and faced the boy.

Sasuke Uchiha looked at the dark robbed man before. In an instant a throwing knife was in his hand and in another it was travelling towards the intruder.

The Listener slapped it out of the air as if it were a bothersome fly before putting his arm back down by his side and regarding the dark youth before.

"You show great talent for one so young." The dark robed assassin whispered softly.

"Who are you?" a note of fear now entering Sasuke's voice.

"A traveller from a distant land." The man said still quietly.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked looking the man in the eyes. He wished he hadn't. The man's eyes were blood red and they reminded Sasuke of the eyes of a predator.

"I came here by chance..." The man's eyes looked Sasuke up and down. "Or perhaps by fate."

"What?" Sasuke started.

"A great tragedy has befallen you, yes?" the man asked in his soft, whispering voice.

"How do you-"

"You reek of anger and pain. You eyes cry out for vengeance." The assassin looked the boy over. Was this why Sithis wanted him to stay? This child should be become Dark Brotherhood or at least the equivalent in this land. "I could help you gain vengeance."

"You could?" The young Uchiha asked, some excitement now entering his tone. He knew the man was powerful, dangerous even. The only reason he had known the man was in the vicinity was the alarms that went off if whenever a non-Uchiha entered unannounced. The Darkly robed man also exuded some sort of aura. It was an aura of danger that had took all of Sasuke's willpower not to run from. Not even his brother had felt this deadly.

"The training I could give. I could teach you many things. I could give you many gifts." The assassin smiled, sharp incisors protruding slightly from his gaunt face. "If you would agree to be my apprentice I could give you power to gain your revenge and much more."

The assassin held out his hand to the young boy.

Sasuke looked at it for a moment before remembering his oath to be an avenger. He slowly walked forward before taking the dark-clad man's hand and kneeling before him.

The Listener smiled down at the boy.

"Welcome to the Dark Brotherhood little brother. Sithis welcomes you."

End Notes: So that's chapter 1. Hoped you all liked it. There'll be more. Don't worry about that.

This Fic came to me from the idea doing another Naruto fic. It was one were Naruto grew up a thief, one of those Robin Hood types that stole from the rich and yada yada yada. I quickly gave up on that because I thought there was not enough depth to it. Also I do find it slightly unfair if Naruto's background is changed and he comes out stronger or better in some way. So I decided to do a fic were the whole of team 7 is revamped (except Kakashi).

So now expect a more sly and cunning Naruto, a more useful Sakura (Shock) and more deadly and controlled Sasuke.

Also congratulations on anyone who saw and found it humours that Naruto is trained by the Grey 'Fox'.

For those of you history lovers who recognised the names I gave both the Blades Grandmaster and the Dark Brotherhood Listener, Gaius Marius and Lucius Sulla. They come from two famous ancient Roman generals who were rivals to each other and came just before Caesar's time. I was just trying to keep the Roman theme that seems quite evident in the Imperial city.

Anyway please read and review.