Uzumaki Naruto hadn't impressed him. That the man hadn't noticed his approach was disappointing, if not terribly surprising. He was used to working with substandard captains in the field; Kakashi had prepared him well for that.

His plebian attempt at humor was even worse. Most jonin were fairly no-nonsense, a trait he appreciated in a squad leader. His humor could be considered sophomoric on a good day, perhaps, but Sasuke truly wasn't in the mood for games.

Impatience had ripped the gokakyu from his throat before the blond had even finished his speech. The man's anticipation did him some credit – he'd clearly studied the Sharingan in some depth to have an idea of Sasuke's ploy.

At least he's not completely worthless, the Uchiha mused as he regained his bearings. Naruto hit hard and could counter-attack in the blink of an eye, all of which meant he'd earned his rank. It was more than he could say for some of the jonin he'd worked under.

Yamanaka appeared crouched at his side a moment later, interrupting his thoughts. "He's fast up close. I'll engage in hand to hand. Once he's on the back foot, your ninjutsu can take him down."

She knew his strengths well enough, thankfully. The plan was simplistic, but then most hastily thrown together battle plans were. He had faith in her taijutsu; she'd been trained by the Godaime, after all.

"Hn."

Yamanaka took his grunt for the affirmation it was, disappearing in a shunshin. One of his eyebrows rose at the shockwave that emanated from the two blondes clashing, the ground beneath his feet rumbling slightly. He blocked? Any shinobi worth their salt could sense the latent chakra waiting to be unleashed in Yamanaka's fists. Uzumaki's chakra control must've been finely tuned to be able to absorb such a blow.

Interesting…Sasuke mused, his enhanced eyes following the furious flurry of taijutsu from a distance. Yamanaka had gotten better, her blows more precise and contained despite the power they carried. Uzumaki didn't appear phased, sliding out of the way of all but the opening salvo with relative ease.

Realizing that the rudimentary plan wouldn't work, Sasuke switched gears and blurred forward. His eyes spotted the smallest of openings – Uzumaki's back turned fully – and his ninjato was drawn in a single fluid motion that would bisect the blond.

His other hand reached toward a brace of shuriken, the Sharingan already anticipating the most likely escape paths, when his sword arm was suddenly halted. A hand belonging to another Uzumaki held him back. Sasuke felt his hackles rise at the single, taunting eyebrow on the face of the clone that had apparently formed from thin air behind him.

Irritating. He ripped his arm from its grasp with little effort and spun low, kicking out. The clone hopped adroitly over his sweep, but Sasuke had already leveraged himself. His free hand planted and stuck to the ground with chakra and he kicked up, the bastardized beginning to the Omote Renge landing solidly with the clone's chin.

The body melted on contact, covering his leg in water that froze rapidly. Red eyes widening, Sasuke palmed a kunai and stabbed at the ice formation coalescing on his outstretched limb. A brief application of raiton chakra shattered the ice and he shook it off, hastily making space.

Taijutsu is useless, he concluded. Yamanaka was still locked in a fight with him, but was giving ground now as Uzumaki went on the offensive. She managed to land a defensive kick to Uzumaki's sternum, using the momentum to push herself back and away enough to body flicker out of arms reach. Sasuke tracked her movement and followed a moment later.

"Taijutsu didn't work," Yamanaka needlessly stated around a pant. A fierce scowl marred her face, a clear sign of her frustration.

"You have a doton affinity?" Sasuke asked. She nodded. "Maneuver him to the center of the clearing. My genjutsu will leave him vulnerable and I'll finish this." It would be easy enough to do himself, but he knew that teamwork was supposed to be a part of tests like this.

Thankfully, the Yamanaka nodded and flipped through seals. Her palms slamming into the ground heralded the emergence of dragon's head that roared toward the waiting Uzumaki at speed. Improved ninjutsu as well, Sasuke noted absently as she tore off in the direction Uzumaki had dodged.

The ground erupted in fissures, a clear sign of Yamanaka's offensive, and Sasuke burst into motion. His eyes caught Uzumaki's retreating form with ease, and blue eyes met red for an instant through the dust.

Feeling his chakra take hold, Sasuke doubled around, watching as Uzumaki slashed out at an unseen enemy. All too easy, he thought, bringing his ninjato to bear once more. He moved to level it even with the blonde's neck, but felt his eyes fly wide as Uzumaki spun suddenly, grabbing him by the wrist and holding firm.

He reached down on reflex, drawing a kunai, but his other wrist was snatched as easily as the first. Clear blue eyes met his without fear as the sound of breaking glass echoed in his ears.

"You're not great at genjutsu, are you?" the blond taunted as he held Sasuke in place.

The Uchiha gritted his teeth, saying nothing. At his renewed attempted to pull away was stymied by Uzumaki's iron grip, he smirked. "Your loss."

His chakra circulated rapidly at a thought, transmuting to lightning faster than a synapse could fire in the brain. Raikiri…nagashi!

He grinned as Uzumaki's eyes went wide. Pure lightning exploded from Sasuke's tenketsu with the scream of a thousand birds. His vision went white for a moment as the chakra output momentarily overwhelmed his Sharingan.

The grin turned into a gasp as Uzumaki's grip shifted suddenly to his neck. Vision returning, he was greeted by a thoroughly unimpressed looking blond. Sasuke gasped as Uzumaki violently twisted the hand that still held the ninjato, the blade falling lamely to the ground below.

What?

"This isn't going how you planned, is it?" the blond asked.

Desperate, the Sharingan spun rapidly in Sasuke's eyes as his chakra reached out. He felt his genjutsu searching for purchase to no avail, the blond somehow slipping through his fingers like water.

"If the first one failed, what made you think trying again wouldn't be a waste of time?"

The rhetorical question was barely processed before Sauke felt the wind slammed out of him. His hands clawed impotently at Uzumaki's grip on his neck, vision starting to blacken at the edges.

Air returned to his lungs a moment later as he fell ignobly to the ground, gasping for breath. He glanced up in time to see Yamanaka descending like an avenging angel, enough pent up chakra in her fist to level the administrative building. Move, fool! he screamed at himself, but his legs weren't cooperating.

Sasuke was forced to watch as Uzumaki raised his arms in a futile cross-guard as Yamanaka brought her fist down without mercy. The resulting shockwave pulverized the ground beneath him, turning bedrock into naught but topsoil. He tumbled inelegantly to the bottom of what was surely a sizeable crater, struggling to keep the dust from his lungs.

He looked up once he'd halted enough to get his bearings. Impossible! Uzumaki stood unscathed on a thin pillar of earth that rose five meters above Sasuke, Yamanaka caught in his grip much the same way he'd been moments ago.

He channeled the chakra output through his legs, the Uchiha realized amidst his mounting disbelief. He redirected it!

Controlling his incredulity, Sasuke bounded from the crater back to the surface and faced Uzumaki plainly. His mind whirled as the blond tossed Yamanaka unceremoniously in his direction, strategies playing out and being discarded at the speed of thought.

His team member scrambled to her feet and looked at him with as much astonishment as he felt. The only person he'd fought with even a hint of the control it took to tank two such blows was Kakashi – and he knew his sensei would have at least had the good grace to get out of the way of the second.

"He just took my biggest hit."

"Hn."

"Together?"

"Hn."

Sasuke brought his hands together in a cross shaped seal and felt his chakra halve. A kage bunshin appeared in a burst of smoke in front of him. It flipped through seals, lightning leaping into its palm, and disappeared in a seamless body flicker.

"Left," the Uchiha told his partner, watching as Uzumaki dodged the speed ninjutsu with contemptible ease. "Left again. Your ten o'clock, now!" he ordered.

Yamanaka flipped through seals once more and dropped to a knee. Uzumaki dodged a downward slash of the clone's Raikiri directly into the path of a fissure Yamanaka opened in the earth. The blond leapt up just as Sasuke's clone cast its arm out, its lightning jutsu flying forward in the shape of a hawk.

Precognition leaving him wide eyed, Sasuke barked, "Doryuudan, your nine-thirty." To her credit, Yamanaka didn't hesitate as the crack of thunder heralded Uzumaki – somehow – redirecting an A-ranked raiton manipulation into the ground below him. The earth dragon roared forth once more, but Sasuke wasn't finished.

Ram – horse – snake – dragon – rat – ox – tiger – Katon: Karyuu Endan!

He reared back and expelled a white hot dragon that set Yamanaka's sludge alight. His eyes narrowed as Uzumaki landed in the path of the twin dragon jutsus, disappearing beneath them with a clap of his hands.

The memory from his clone dispersing was a waste, so he discarded it as Yamanaka panted, "Did we get him?"

Sasuke didn't dignify her with a response. That combination was worthy of the Sandaime Hokage, yet Uzumaki had already shown that high level raiton techniques were all but useless against him. Red eyes narrowed as acrid smoke filled the clearing in the wake of the combined elemental manipulation. Smoke that's spreading far too much to be normal, he realized a moment later.

"Mist," he hissed as the pitch black vapor reached them and began to blanket everything as far as the eye could see.

"Genjutsu?"

His Sharingan spun, yet the mist remained as black as the smoke they'd created. "No," Sasuke said, inwardly wishing he'd been able to copy the seals for such a technique.

It struck him, suddenly, that Uzumaki hadn't even used a jutsu up until this point. He felt a bead of sweat trickle down the back of his neck.

"Back to back," Yamanaka ordered, and such was his discomfort that Sasuke complied without thinking.

I can't see, he realized. All there was, as far as his Sharingan could see, was the blinding blue of Uzumaki's chakra. Another bead of sweat slid down his neck, and the sound of his heartbeat was suddenly deafening.

"Not bad for shinobi who haven't worked together before." Uzumaki's voice was suddenly everywhere at once. Sasuke felt Yamanaka tense behind him. "Decent teamwork, sound tactics. Your sensei would be proud, I'm sure."

Sasuke gritted his teeth – Uzumaki was openly taunting them now. Behind him, Yamanaka nearly snarled wordlessly.

"But neither of you have fought an S-ranked shinobi before."

Uzumaki's voice was suddenly between them somehow, and the two jumped apart on reflex. Fool! Sasuke chided himself, now utterly alone in the dark.

He jumped skyward, chakra suffusing his legs, knowing only that he had to escape the blackness to have a chance. The mist thinned and suddenly he burst into blue skies. Sasuke didn't waste a moment, speeding through seals. Boar – dog – bird – monkey – ram: Kuchiyose no –

"Good idea!"

Uzumaki's voice was his only warning. His head snapped to the right in time to see the blond come hurtling toward him out of the mist, fist cocked back. The punch connected with his torso and the world was suddenly dark once more before pain.

Sasuke gasped, red hot fire making his arm nearly numb. A chakra cushion to his left shoulder at the last moment saved him from shattered bones as he crashed into the ground, but the impact still nearly wrenched the joint from its socket.

"Sasuke!" Yamanaka's voice called him from less than a meter away.

"Here," he panted, and suddenly she was at his side. "Left shoulder," he managed to grunt, thrusting it impotently into her chest.

She took the hint, thankfully, and soothing medical chakra nearly stole his breath a moment later. "We're fucked down here," Yamanaka said, stating the obvious. "Don't you have a hawk summon?"

"Tried it."

His partner cursed, but he paid it no heed as he felt water on the tips of his toes. What? The sound of a river made his heart skip a beat a moment before the inky blackness disappeared all at once.

Oh.

Wide eyes flew wider as his eyes, momentarily stunned by the influx of daylight, struggled to process the spiraling vortex of water bearing down on them.

Some reflex had him grabbing Yamanaka's arm and body flickering out of the immediate kill zone. His eyes flitted around, searching for Uzumaki to no avail.

A creeping cold dropped his eyes to his feet in time to see ice crystals rapidly freezing their way up his legs. A quick nagashi shattered the ice and he leapt away, unable to spare a thought for Yamanaka who he saw trapped in his periphery.

Senses screaming, he spun in time to block part of a roundhouse kick to his chest and tucked himself into a roll across the sodden ground. He came out of the somersault swinging, the Sharingan's precognition giving him a split second of warning before Uzumaki was on him.

His leg made contact with the blonde's arm and halted. He fell off balance as the blond snatched his ankle in a vice grip and pulled him forward into his fist. Sasuke skidded through the sopping leftovers of the water vortex, tucking his body into a roll and speeding through seals.

Chakra gripping the ground, he rose to his knees, leaned back, and expelled a grand fireball in his assailant's general direction. He ducked on reflex, just in time to avoid a water bullet the size of a tree that plowed through his gokakyu.

Move!

Chakra suffused his legs enough to blast a crater in the earth as he blasted away. Make space, make spa–

An iron grip on his shoulder halted him in the middle of his second shunshin, the tendons in his knees shrieking as his momentum was halted out of nowhere. He collapsed backwards as his legs gave out from underneath him, head splashing down.

"You're pretty quick." Uzumaki's face swam into focus above him, lips quirked upward. "Got anymore tricks up your sleeve, or you about ready to pack it in?"

Sasuke considered the man for a moment. Save from some slight singeing around his hair, he was utterly unscathed, in direct contrast to the battered and bruised form the Uchiha knew he sported.

His pride stung, but there was a slight thrill of excitement underneath that took him by surprise. The last person who'd truly defied his expectations had been Kakashi, mid-way through his apprenticeship.

"Hn," he grunted, lifting his arm. Uzumaki grabbed it and pulled him up.

"Good choice."

/~/

Not bad, Naruto thought, surveying his thoroughly beaten charges. Considering what they had likely been expecting, they'd performed admirably. And their job wasn't to tackle S-ranked shinobi on their own.

Holding a ram seal, the blond felt the temperature rise steadily in the clearing as his chakra heated the water saturating the ground. It dried quickly and he plopped down in front of Ino and Sasuke unceremoniously.

"Take a seat," he offered. The Uchiha lowered himself immediately into a cross legged position. The Yamanaka hesitated, expression unreadable, before doing the same. "You both did well."

Sasuke raised a brow challengingly while Ino scoffed; she looked away a moment later, the slightest tinge of pink on her cheeks. Naruto felt himself smile. Competitive. "I wasn't taunting when I said your sensei would be proud of you both. You faced a complete unknown with only limited knowledge of each other's skills and performed well."

"We'd be dead," Ino said tonelessly. The embarrassment was gone from her face, replaced by a visage as unreadable as an ANBU mask. Naruto hated it immediately.

"Yes, well, that's why I'm here," he returned in what he hoped was a winning manner. Neither face budged and he tried not to feel a bit deflated. He cleared his throat. "Information was recently brought to the Hokage and the intelligence committee concerning the mercenary group Akatsuki. Have either of you heard of them?"

"Yes," they said simultaneously. They shared a brief glance before turning back to Naruto, both positioned more intently.

Suppose that's not surprising… "What do you know of them? Ino first, please."

The younger blonde straightened almost imperceptibly. "The earliest mention of them was during the Third Great War. There have been small links to hidden villages over the past decade and a half but nothing confirmed." She paused, as if unsure of herself, then continued, "Most recent reports are that they are comprised entirely of S-ranked nuke-nin."

Naruto nodded and turned his eyes to Sasuke.

"Uchiha Itachi is a confirmed member," the Uchiha said without inflection. From the corner of his eye, Naruto watched Ino glance at Sasuke with a hint of concern.

The older blond exhaled. "You're both correct. That's a bit more than I expected you to know, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Given the recent information provided, the Hokage has created a mission, designated S-ranked. As I'm sure you've surmised, you've both been drafted."

"With you as team lead?" Ino asked immediately.

Ah, hello conflict of interest, Naruto thought uncharitably. He managed to keep himself from flushing. That conversation was going to have to happen, and soon. "Correct. The Hokage feels my skills are best suited for the mission."

"Which is?" Sasuke asked before Ino could say anything further.

"The investigation and eventual retrieval of known members." The Uchiha's eyes narrowed, and Naruto questioned the teen's placement on this team once more. "Or former members," Naruto continued, sliding into professionalism. "The two we currently have the most intel on are a Taki nuke-nin by the name of Kakuzu and the former Konoha-nin, Orochimaru."

Naruto watched expectantly as both Ino and Sasuke tensed at the name of one of the Leaf's most hated enemies. He remembered, less vividly for all the time passed, his own hatred of the man who'd orchestrated the Crush. There was a visceral satisfaction in their mission, made all the sweeter by his knowledge that they'd almost certainly encounter the disgraced Sannin.

"Given the nature of who we're chasing, the next ten to fourteen days will be spent team building. We'll need to know each other's habits and how to cover any gaps we have. We'll also work on a few strategies to compound each other's strengths."

"The usual then," Ino drawled.

A slight nervousness clawing at him, Naruto forced his lips into a smile. "The usual. Much as I'd love to head out immediately, I wouldn't feel comfortable until I knew both of your skillsets from back to front," he said diplomatically. "And vice versa."

Both of his new teammates perked up ever so slightly at the last. The blonde's smile, this time, was fully genuine.

"Do you have any questions before we break for the day?" Two mute head-shakes greeted his words. "Meet at seven tomorrow morning, training ground thirty-nine."

Naruto rose fluidly, brushed his hands down his pants to remove any dirt, real or imagined, and glanced up at his charges. Sasuke stood stock still in front of him; Ino, having taken his dismissal quite literally, was striding purposefully from the clearing. The blond blinked. So much for having the awkward talk today.

"Sasuke," he greeted, putting Ino out of his mind for the moment.

"You've fought S-ranked shinobi before," the Uchiha said without preamble. Naruto managed to not raise an eyebrow as he nodded. "What's the difference?"

Ah. How to answer this… "Great question. Walk with me," he said. Sasuke fell into step with him as they strode through the clearing. "What jumps out to you from our fight today?"

"Speed, chakra control, durability, anticipation," Sasuke rattled off.

Naruto nodded. "All true. A good, technical answer. But you're probably faster than me, and those eyes of yours give you an edge over just about anyone in anticipation." Not me, though, the blond thought with a touch of pride.

"All of which goes to say…" the Uchiha trailed off, his even tone belying a clear displeasure at being led.

Naruto smiled slightly. "There's no one answer." He glanced at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye, noting a scowl. "All shinobi are unique, right?"

"Hn."

I'll take that as a yes. "Which means that there's going to be a different type of separation for everyone. Someone may be able to take your best shot and get back up. Others, more likely, will have techniques that your mind hasn't even thought of as possible. If you're unlucky, it'll be both."

"But how?" Sasuke asked, an edge to his tone.

Naruto stopped, and Sasuke turned to him. Blue eyes surveyed his new teammate, taking in the studiously neutral face and stance he held. His eyes burned, however, with more fire than if his Sharingan had been active. Beneath the surface, Sasuke's chakra churned to Naruto's senses.

Oh, Itachi, what did you do to him?

"What other answers have you gotten to this question?"

Sasuke blinked, and his chakra settled. He frowned a moment later. "Time," he all but growled. "Patience. That I should be satisfied with my power because I'm young and still growing. As if that means anything at all."

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Cocky in the face of an unknown, but thinks he should be stronger. What a winning combo. Pivoting, Naruto asked, "How would you say you fight?"

Sasuke paused for a moment, thinking, before, "Tactically."

"Sure. More broadly, you fight like an Uchiha." Naruto paused, cocking his head to the side. "Before we dive into this, I am assuming you're after Itachi…" Itachi had told him little in regards to Sasuke, only that he wanted to kill him.

The younger brother nodded curtly, eyes narrowed. Banishing whatever uncharitable thoughts he planned to share with the elder, Naruto refocused. "I've fought four S-ranked shinobi. Itachi was one of them."

Onyx eyes flew wide. Now that I've got your attention… "He fights like an Uchiha too, but better. He thinks ten steps ahead. He uses B-ranked fire manipulations without hand seals. His illusions vary from subtle to debilitating, and switch from one to the other faster than you can react. He's probably the most efficient shinobi I've ever fought; not a single step or hand seal is wasted. And, on top of all of that, he can conjure fire hot enough to burn water."

Naruto watched Sasuke's hands clench into white-knuckled fists as his chakra roiled in agitation.

"How do you beat someone like that?"

The younger Uchiha's glared at him. Naruto held his silence, letting the question hang. "I don't know," Sasuke finally bit out.

"The same way you beat anyone else you can't simply ambush or overpower: negate their strengths, attack their weaknesses. How did I fight you?"

"You blinded me," Sasuke returned without missing a beat.

"And what happened?"

The younger teen sighed almost imperceptibly, tension leaving his body. "Disorientation, panic."

"You had good instincts to try to summon your hawks, but the fight was basically over at that point."

"Can you teach me that jutsu? The one that blacked the clearing out."

Naruto felt his lips quirk up. "Was planning to teach it to you and Ino anyway. I wouldn't use it on Itachi though; he's already seen it."

Sasuke surveyed him for a moment. "Did it work?" he asked quietly.

The blond shrugged. "It gave me the upper hand for a few seconds."

"And that wasn't enough."

Naruto grinned. "The thing about S-ranked shinobi is that they have more than one strength. Take one away and there's another waiting to surprise you."

"You sound like you enjoy it."

That gave Naruto pause. His thoughts trailed back to his reentrance to the shinobi world and his justifications to Nagato. It had been all he'd ever known, and he'd always loved a good fight. Surviving stripped away the momentary terrors of putting your life on the line, leaving only the memories of going toe to toe with someone else; of pitting your best against theirs and seeing who won.

"I guess I do," he said quietly, after a moment. He shook himself and returned to the present. "Anyway, try to focus on developing more weapons independent of your eyes. They're powerful, but they're just one tool in your arsenal."

Sasuke nodded, his gaze suddenly distant. Probably already brainstorming.

"Thank you," the Uchiha said quietly, like it was uncomfortable to force past his lips.

"You're welcome. It's what teammates are for," Naruto declared, his own mind turning to old friends who'd helped him grow.

They turned and continued back toward the village without another word.

/~/

Yamanaka were, generally, some of the most self-aware shinobi. Walking the minds of others was only possible with a keen sense of self to keep one grounded. It was all too easy to get lost in the head of someone else, after all.

All this to say that Ino was irritated, knew she was irritated, and knew that her irritation was utterly unwarranted. Unsurprisingly, knowledge of it didn't serve to alleviate the irritation.

You need to get over yourself, she thought as she strode purposefully up the stairs to her sensei's office. Being angry with Tsunade would only serve to make Tsunade angry, and that was something Ino, spoiling for a fight or not, was not looking for.

She'd barely managed to keep her composure throughout the team meeting after the veritable beat down Naruto had drubbed Sasuke and her with. A general interest and excitement for the mission ahead had helped her keep her head, but she'd still been downright disrespectful with how quickly she'd left. Especially considering the conversation she knew she and Naruto would be forced to have.

Reaching the top, she exhaled heavily – once, twice, three times. She felt her indignation flowing over her like water over rocks in a river, but she was its master in a moment. Seafoam eyes turned to the open doors as her predecessor padded out, an ever familiar welcoming smile on Shizune's face.

"You picked a good time," Tsunade's elder apprentice told her, a knowing glint in her eyes. Shizune had been Ino's most valuable friend ever since Tsunade had taken her on nearly six years previous; the older woman a consistent balm where their master was often prickly.

Unbidden, Ino felt some of the lingering emotion slide off her shoulders. She smiled back. "I'd be more worried if I didn't know her well after all this time. How's her mood?"

"She hasn't started drinking yet."

"A good day then." I'll try not to ruin it too much for you, she silently promised. Shizune said nothing more as Ino passed her, electing to simply shut the double doors behind her.

Four quick steps brought her to the Godaime's desk where she dropped to a knee. "Shishou."

Tsunade's chair, which had been facing the village, swiveled to face her. "Take a seat, Ino."

The younger blonde did as she was bid, dropping to the always surprisingly comfortable chair on the right. She sat straight, facing her sensei, and considered her words.

They'd had this arrangement ever since Tsunade had taken her on: whenever Ino was rotated to a new team, as most shinobi chunin and above did, there was a debrief. They didn't speak about it openly, but Ino knew that she was the most consistent eyes and ears Tsunade had in the Operations Unit.

She'd never before been anything other than proud of the designation, but then she'd never given very much thought to her squad commanders before – certainly not years before the actual assignment. Ino schooled her face carefully as she felt her earlier indignation rising once more.

"You're irritated," Tsunade declared. Ino cursed herself; apparently her face was more open than she wanted to admit.

"Yes, sensei."

"Tch. Thought you'd be thanking me. He's your ghost, right?" the Godaime asked. "Didn't think you'd have a problem being on his team. Or did he not live up to your expectations?"

Oh he met them alright, she thought, doing her best not to let her teeth grind. As it was, she was at a loss for what to say exactly – her anger laid primarily with herself, not Tsunade. It was her own childish expectations that were the problem. Never mind her actions.

"Made you feel it, did he?" her sensei asked rhetorically. Naturally, she'd cottoned on to a source of Ino's frustrations without them even needing to be said.

"That would be one way of putting it," Ino allowed, her professional mask slipping as she massaged the bridge of her nose. "Thrashed, beat down, massacred – all good substitutes."

Her mentor chuckled good-naturedly as she opened a drawer. A plain white bottle of sake and two cups were placed on the desk. Benefits of having a functioning alcoholic for a sensei. Ino downed the cup pushed her way a moment later.

"And what were you expecting, exactly?"

This, Ino knew, wasn't a rhetorical question. For him to use more than two fucking jutsu, she wanted to say, banishing thoughts of her adolescent daydreams. "I thought I was better."

"So he hurt your pride? We both know you wouldn't be this pissed if it was that simple."

Distantly, Ino was glad Tsunade was in a good mood. If it'd been a worse day, there was a good chance she'd have been kicked out by now – literally. She felt herself soften slightly.

"I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for him…"

"Yes, and he heroically saved your life during the Crush, leading you to throw yourself at my feet and beg me to train you." The Godaime raised her cup of sake and toasted her mockingly.

Ino rolled her eyes, fighting a chuckle in spite of herself. It didn't matter that Tsunade knew or had guessed at most of this; she wouldn't have opened up the conversation if she wasn't willing to hear Ino out. And if she had, well, too damn bad.

"I thought I was a good kunoichi before the exams. Then I drew with Sakura and realized there was a lotta work to be done. Then the Crush happened…"

The woman aborted her attack as a gray blur besieged her suddenly, and she nearly sagged in relief.

"We should move," Shikamaru grunted from next to her, more alert than she'd ever seen him.

"What if that guy needs our help?" Chouji asked worriedly, somehow forgetting just how useless the three of them had been against the woman seconds before.

Ino's eyes widened as two blades were driven through the Suna kunoichi's chest. The ANBU – his garb was telltale – relieved her of her head a moment later. "I think he's fine," she managed, awestruck at how seemingly casual the enemy's life had been snuffed out.

Panic gripped her a moment later as their savior was thrown airborne. Her heart nearly stopped as a new Suna-nin moved faster than she could see and tore the ANBU to pieces with some invisible jutsu.

Please please please don't die, she thought frantically as the ANBU, somehow not shredded, attacked the Suna jonin. The masked man, who she recognized as the terrifying Suna team's sensei, made space with contemptuous ease, and the ANBU landed adroitly in front of them.

"Get outta here, genin!" he barked. "This is way over your heads."

Oh good, you noticed, Ino thought before the ANBU turned to face them. He's barely older than us! she realized, mind stuttering to a halt. Belatedly, she realized she'd verbalized her thought.

"I'm ANBU, girl. Now leave!" he ordered before three clones appeared and grabbed each of them under their arms.

She'd realized, quite quickly after the rush of battle had left her system, that she didn't much like being saved. Whatever fantasies she'd had growing up about dashing shinobi coming to her rescue had died in the academy, replaced instead by fantasies of doing the same for them as her pride grew in tandem with her supposed skills.

Top kunoichi, chunin nominee: useless titles in the face of real strength.

All record of Uzumaki Naruto had disappeared, she'd discovered a year later when he'd failed to show his face around the time border guards were set to rotate. Knowing he was ANBU, it'd only excited her; she knew how to read between the lines, and as Tsunade's new apprentice, she had more access to information than people gave her credit for.

He was at war. Somewhere in Kusa directly in the middle of the conflict no one talked about but everyone knew about.

She'd worried for him at first, this boy who she could barely call a friend. But she'd contented herself with the knowledge that Naruto was strong – he'd be able to handle anything the war threw at him just the way he had during the Crush.

"Well whenever you get back, look me up. I'll be around."

"I'll do that."

She'd clung to that one promise harder and longer than she'd ever thought she could. It had driven her to Tsunade, all but begging the Godaime to take her as an apprentice. It had sustained her in the first months, when everything she did was wrong and she'd worried that Tsunade would realize her mistake and give her up as a lost cause. It had pushed her for over half a decade as she outstripped all but the most gifted of her peers, that singular knowledge that he'd come back some day and she'd finally, finally show him who she was.

Not some spoiled kunoichi clan heir needing to be saved, but an equal.

And now, six years later? "I guess I just thought it'd go differently," Ino said at length.

"You thought he'd come back and you'd sweep him off his feet," her sensei said rhetorically. Ino's eyes rose to Tsunade's and she was surprised to see nothing but understanding. "Reality is often disappointing."

She was reminded, all at once, of the course Tsunade's life had taken. Shame gripped her for a moment, knowing just how trivial this must've sounded to the elder blonde.

"I thought I'd give him a fight," Ino finished bitterly, the wind gone from her sails.

Tsunade stared at her, her half-lidded gaze still somehow piercing. She sighed a moment later. "You're a good shinobi, Ino. You were a talented, hot headed girl who wanted to prove herself when you came to me. Now you're a talented, hot headed young woman who I'm proud to call my apprentice," the Godaime said sardonically. Ino smiled at the compliment, warmth blanketing her. "You're still so young. And someday you'll make everything I've done look like child's play," Tsunade continued, gesticulating lazily with one of her hands. "There's no need to hurry."

It was Ino's turn to sigh. "I know you're right, shishou," she allowed. "It was just…I know I'm good. Like jonin good. And he just…"

"There's always a bigger fish." Tsunade had turned her head to face the village and her face had taken on a pensive quality that Ino knew meant she was diving into memories. "War changes people. If it doesn't manage to kill you, it's the greatest training in the world. Your mind twists in different directions to solve problems you never knew you'd confront. I don't recommend it."

The Hokage turned back to Ino, a small smile on her face. "You have a lot to be proud of. Not the least of which is this assignment. What's your take?"

"I thought hunting S-class nin was for the Hunters." Tsunade rolled her eyes and the younger blonde smirked. "I mean I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried, ya know?"

"Because you're not a moron."

"Right." She combed her fingers through her hair idly, parsing the information Naruto had dropped on Sasuke and her. "If Akatsuki is the threat everyone says they are, I'm mostly surprised it's a team this small. But then I guess these are still early stages, right?"

"Mhm. Finite resources too. We packed as much punch onto this squad as possible considering they move in twos. What did you think of Naruto?"

That this would be a lot less complicated if I hadn't fucked him a few days ago… "Where to start?" she asked a bit breathily. Wresting control of herself, Ino continued, "He's unreal. Took my strongest punch and managed to channel the kinetic energy through his body and into the ground. Sasuke had him pinned at one point and tried to electrocute him and…it didn't work. Can't imagine how good his control is for that…"

Tsunade stared at her intently, her chin in her left palm at she rested an arm on her desk. "He was a genjutsu specialist before he left for Kusa. Hadn't grown into his chakra capacity yet, per the docs at the time. Seems to have served him well."

"Suiton affinity," Ino said, remembering both the massive vortex and the water he'd poured her. "A high one too. There wasn't any water in the training ground. He likes ice, too. Does he have a bloodline?"

"Nothing quite so well understood." Tsunade leaned back. "The Uzumaki were known for the strength of their chakra back before the purge. Generally had strong suiton affinities as well. His is particularly high, though. He was using only one hand seal for some A-ranked manipulations when he was tested."

The younger blonde felt her mouth fall open slightly. "And, uh…how was he tested, exactly?" she asked, askance.

The Godaime snorted lightly. "I threw Jiraiya at him a few days ago. Old perv hasn't had that much fun in years."

Ino blinked, remembering his final words to her that morning.

"Gotta fight an S-class ninja. Hokage's orders," he called.

That cheeky fucker, she thought, suddenly fighting a smile.

"How was he with you and Sasuke?" Tsunade's question brought her back to reality a moment later.

Ino felt her lips quirk up slightly. "A bit awkward at first. But he got more comfortable as we got going. I think he'll be fine for a former ANBU."

Tsunade nodded. "It's good he's opening up some. He wasn't exactly reticent when we spoke, but I can't quite pin down how genuine he is," Tsunade said. Ino knew from experience she was mostly talking to herself, and it was a mark of just how trusted she was that the Godaime let her be privy to it.

The elder blonde shrugged after a moment of silent reflection. She turned to Ino with a smirk. "He remembered you, you know. Said you were acquainted when I handed the team selection to him."

The statement, undoubtedly intended to lighten the mood and make her feel better, turned Ino's stomach to lead. "Did he?" she managed. Oh just get it over with, Ino! she yelled at herself.

"Mhm. You must've made quite the impression…"

She dropped her face to her hands for a moment, composing herself as best she could in a second. "He didn't, actually," she began, mind casting back to first seeing him standing with Sakura at the bar. She hadn't known her stomach could flip like that anymore after years of shinobi life coupled with a fair number of relationships, casual and otherwise. "I actually ran into him a few days ago. He was with Sakura at the Indigo."

Tsunade gave no indication that she felt one way or another about the information, her face a placid mask of indifference that made Ino squirm.

"We might've…gone back to his place," she declared at last. Her eyes rose from the top of the desk and met her mentor's plainly.

The Godaime said nothing for a few seconds that felt like hours to the younger blonde. Finally, she huffed a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You don't waste time, do you? Leave us." Ino started slightly before realizing the command was for the ever-present ANBU retinue. Tsunade made a ram seal a moment later and the borders of the office glowed blue.

She straightened. Ohhhh, I'm in trouble…

"I can't reprimand you for unprofessional behavior to the detriment of your team since the team didn't even exist at the time. And you also know that I don't give a shit what or who you do in your personal time." The last was punctuated with a steeply raised eyebrow as the Godaime leaned forward. "However, wittingly or not you're now much more involved with an extremely dangerous man."

Ino's eyebrows climbed skyward as Tsunade opened a drawer in her desk. "It's not like we're in a committed relationship or anything," she defended weakly.

Tsunade's glare pinned her in place so hard she nearly scooted backward in her chair. "Don't be obtuse," the Godaime spat, causing Ino to recoil. A manila file folder was tossed her way. The younger blonde caught it on reflex, eyes widening slightly at its heft. "That's his file. Take a look, why don't you?"

Opening it was slightly shaking fingers, Ino stared down at her ghost's face. He was no older than thirteen in the photo – clearly he hadn't gotten around to updating the image on file with the older version she was getting used to.

Uzumaki Naruto

Born: October 10

Mother: Uzumaki Kushina

Father: Namikaze Minato

Feeling the blood drain from her face, Ino brought her gaze back up to Tsunade. "He's…"

"All information in his file is classified above top secret," the elder blonde told her dispassionately. "The psyche report starts on page six, if you're interested. Your father did the eval."

Warily, she turned to page six and away from the mission history she'd hastily skipped to – away from the fact that his father was the strongest shinobi the village had ever produced. Sure enough, her father's personal seal was emblazoned in blood red at the top.

"How is he on active duty already?" Ino breathed, starting with the recommendation. Her father's words were crystal clear.

"Technically, he's not. Even if we got credible information on one of Orochimaru's bases tomorrow, he wouldn't be allowed to leave the village for another ten days."

The younger blonde flicked a disbelieving glance at her mentor and was rewarded with a sardonic smirk. Pick your battles, she heard in her head, one of the first lessons Tsunade had ever taught her. Her eyes turned downward once more, skimming her father's notes. Her grip on the page tightened.

Extensive untreated trauma…

…visibly repressed memories…

…subjected to S-ranked enhanced interrogation.

…clear signs of post-traumatic stress.

"Why is he cleared for active duty at all?" she questioned incredulously.

"You saw his mission history."

ANBU, then Root. "They can't make you do anything."

"No, but then it's not every day the heir to the throne comes home," Tsunade drawled. "He was picked for it when he was twelve. And considering who picked him, I'd much rather have him in standard ops than quietly rotated back in with the spooks."

Ino leaned back, the hairs on her arms standing. She was familiar with her mentor's wariness of the elders – the Sandaime and Danzo in particular – but it'd never been stated quite so plainly. It was no secret Tsunade's appointment had been divisive. Legend though she was, she had also, quite publically, left the village. Ino knew that she'd fought for the loyalty of each and every shinobi ever since she'd returned and had, for the most part, succeeded. Transparency and fairness were easy concepts to get behind, even for notoriously paranoid shinobi.

But the ANBU had needed a strong, dedicated hand to rebuild after the Crush. The Sandaime had been the natural choice, and his presence had provided a guiding hand that would have otherwise spread Tsunade far too thin early in her tenure. It just had the unfortunate side effect of distancing the Godaime from her most elite troops more than any other Hokage in history.

And that said nothing of Danzo's Root.

"What do you want from me, shishou?" Ino asked finally, shutting the dossier.

Tsunade steelped her fingers. "Just be present. Naruto doesn't seem the type to fall into any scheme of theirs. He probably trusts them less than me. But I wouldn't put anything past them. And, if they do try something, there's no guarantee he doesn't snap and kill them both. I'd rather avoid the headache."

Ino breathed deeply. She rose and placed the file back on the desk in front of her, happy to be rid of its weight. "I won't fail you."

The Godaime's face loosened. "You never have. Thank you, Ino."

The younger blonde bowed and turned for the door, mind awhirl. Tsunade's voice stopped her as she reached for the handle.

"I don't need to tell you to be careful. For your sake as well as his."

Ino looked over her shoulder at her mentor's deathly serious face. She nodded once, and opened the door.

/~/

And we have the team all set. Gonna likely have one more Konoha chapter before we leave the village.

Shouts to the folks at DLP, as always.