An Assassin among Shinobi

Chapter One

A nondescript chunin leaned leisurely against the hard-oak gate of his village. He was clothed in an average uniform of his home village; a long-sleeved, blue shirt and matching pants, with a forest green flack jacket topping the outfit off. His Konoha insignia was carved into a metal plate that he wore tied to his forehead, holding back his medium length brown hair. All in all, he was dressed just as any normal chunin. Being a chunin, the middle level rank of Konoha's forces, this man was tasked with a heavy responsibility. He was to watch the gate. For eight hours. Now this wouldn't be the worst job in the world, considering the benefits. It had decent pay, he could interact with his co-workers to any extent he so desired, and it wasn't exactly the most taxing assignment a shinobi could do. The problem, however, was in the hours. He worked from the unholy hour of four in the morning up until midday. "To make matters worse I haven't seen a single soul all day..."

"Excuse me," a masculine voice called, breaking the chunin from his session of self pity.

The man's brown eyes snapped open as his gaze flickered to the unknown voice. The chunin was suddenly alert, as he wasn't entirely accepting of the fact that a civilian, of all people, had caught him unaware. Turning towards the figure he responded, "Yes?"

"I was hoping to be allowed access into this village," the figure, a man if his figure was of any basis, responded in a heavily accented voice. He was dressed strangely; an obscure white robe with a leather belt. A low hood shadowed the man's face from view.

"Of course," the chunin nodded quickly as he gestured his hand. "Do you have your papers?"

The figure nodded, shuffling through his cloak. He produced a set of identification papers and placed them in the chunin's awaiting grasp.

'He's middle-eastern? That must be why he has such a strange accent. For a foreigner, he speaks flawless Japanese,' the chunin thought with a frown. His keen eyes scanned over the papers, looking for any signs of forgery. He found none. 'Strange. Why would a man of such origin be visiting the Elemental Countries, of all places?' This thought deepened the man's frown. The Elemental Countries, a remote island off the coast of southern Japan, was indeed a strange destination. Secluded from the remainder of the world by deadly seas and ranges of volcanoes, the rest of the world was usually in agreement to leave the strange island to its own biding. In fact, in the chunin guards years of service he'd never met a man of foreign origins. "Well your papers look real, Altaïr-san. Welcome to Konohagakure, I hope you enjoy your visit."

"Thank you Shinobi-san. I'm sure I will," Altaïr bowed to the gate guard as he made his way into the foreign village. 'Unfortunately... I'm not here for leisure. Work needs to be done. The Piece of Eden won't find itself, now will it?'

X.x.X.x.X

"Itadakimasu!" A seven year old child chirped as he snapped apart his chopsticks, diving into his favorite treat. He was clad in a simple black tee-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts.

An elderly chef chuckled as he watched his favorite young customer indulge his food at an alarming pace, before immediately asking for seconds. For any normal child, such eating habits could prove disastrous, but then again, 'Naruto is no ordinary child.' "Slow down there boy! Think with your wallet, not your stomach."

Naruto's innocent blue eyes turned towards the ramen chef, a light pink color shading his cheeks. "Hehe... Sorry Teuchi-jiji!" His lips curled into a large, face-splitting grin as he continued to eat his dish, albeit at a much slower pace.

Teuchi nodded as he matched the boy's grin. His gaze turned towards his twelve year old daughter, who was busy boiling broth in the kitchen. "What the hell... Ayame, get me one more bowl for young Naruto!"

The boy's eyes lit up in a sparkle of delight as the ramen chef placed a bowl of steaming noodles in front of his eagerly awaiting mouth. Without as much as a breath the child started on his second helping.

It would be sometime later when Naruto finally finished, a third empty dish stacked with his previous two. A sigh of content escaped the boy's lips as he dug into his pocket, fishing out his rather flamboyant wallet. Snapping open the frog's lips, the boy produced the necessary funds for his meal. Placing the money on the counter, Naruto stood up, waving his goodbye. "Thanks for the meal Jiji, Ayame-chan!"

"I should be the one thanking you," Teuchi chuckled. "You practically fund this restaurant out of your own pocket!" Although he was clearly exaggerating, as the seven year old boy ate at the restaurant three times a weak, at maximum. Just as the man went to reach for the money, a quick hand scooped up the bills, taking off with Teuchi's earnings. "God damn! Get back here kid!"

The child, a young orphan of around ten years of age, promptly turned around and flashed Teuchi the finger. "Try and make me!" With these words the boy took off, quickly scaling a nearby ladder. With a last gesture of triumph the boy kicked over the ladder, making sure he couldn't be followed to the rooftops.

"Damn thieves," Teuchi sighed, shaking his head in disbelief.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, his young visage shifting into a look of determination. "Don't worry Jiji; I'll get your money back." With an angry cry the blond broke out into a sprint. He made his way over to the fallen ladder. Looking back the determined boy smiled, scaling the side of the building quickly, using ledges and windows as a makeshift ladder.

"Wait Naruto," Teuchi cried, although his words fell on deaf ears. "That isn't really necessary..."

An amused chuckle broke Teuchi from his thoughts as a strangely clad figure approached his stand.

"Can I help you?" The ramen chef questioned, slightly unnerved by the man's sudden presence.

"Yes," the man responded in a thick accent. "What is that boy's name?"

Teuchi turned his suspicious gaze toward the man. It was no secret that Naruto was disliked throughout the village. Although Teuchi was very aware of the reason for the mass resentment, he nonetheless disagreed with it. If the man didn't know the boy's name, chances were he didn't know of his prisoner. "His name... is Naruto Uzumaki." Teuchi remained alert, searching for any signs of hatred in the strange man. Fortunately, all he found was amused curiosity.

"I see," Altaïr smirked as he walked away slowly, a new destination in mind. "An interesting boy indeed."

X.x.X.x.X

Naruto dropped into an alley, scanning through the crowds of people for his target. "Rats! I can't let him get away. He stole Teuchi-jiji's money!" Out of the corner of his eye the blond caught a bit of movement. He quickly identified the young thief, running through the crowded streets of Konoha. "Oh no you don't!" Taking off into a sprint, the unknowing Jinchuuriki pushed his way through the crowds of people, earning him hateful glares from said people. Ignoring the glares, the blond turned onto a deserted side road. Looking up and down the road, the blond couldn't catch a single sign of his target's route. A shout of irritation escaped his throat as plopped down on the ground, saddened by his failure.

"I believe this is who you're looking for," a voice called from behind.

Naruto turned quickly, coming face to face with an unknown adult. Now generally an unknown adult was not a good thing for Naruto Uzumaki. Of course some were bound to stand apart from the general rule, this case being a prime example. In the man's grasp was the squirming thief from the ramen stand. Naruto stared at the man in awe, not used to people going out of their way to assist him. "Thanks...he stole money from me."

"I know," the man stated coolly as he held his hand out. In his palm were the crumpled, but otherwise unharmed, bills of ryo. He dropped the boy to the ground, watching as the child scrambled away, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "I don't believe he will be bothering you again."

The orphaned boy stared at the man suspiciously. It was almost as if he was expecting some sort of deceit from the man. Remembering his encounter with the ramen chef, Altaïr assumed that the boy was. With a quick swipe the mistrusting boy retrieved his money. His abnormal breathing steadied as he realized that the man hadn't tricked him. His suspicion filled eyes were soon replaced with ones of confusion. "How'd you do that mister?"

Altaïr chuckled, "Do what?"

"How'd you get my money back so fast? I didn't even see you when I left..."

"I have my ways," the white clad man responded casually. "I couldn't help but notice your skill in free-running. Who taught you?"

Naruto's lips twisted into a frown. "Free what...?"

"Free-running," Altaïr clarified. "The way you scaled the building in pursuit of your thief."

"I don't know," Naruto responded as his frown deepened. "Nobody taught me. I learned to do that last year to get out of the Orphanage. The people were always mean to me in there."

"I see. You are very adept at it, nonetheless. Especially considering you're self taught." Altaïr praised.

"Well thanks!" Naruto's frown quickly broke into a wide grin. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki, what's yours?"

"It's good to meet you Naruto," Altaïr greeted as he extended his hand. "My name is Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad."

Naruto nodded as he extended his own hand, grasping the man's much larger one. He couldn't help but notice Altaïr's opposite hand. "Hey mister?"

"Yes?"

"How come you don't have one of your fingers?" He questioned innocently.

"Oh," Altaïr lifted his left hand, revealing that he was indeed missing his index finger. "You mean this?" Noticing the blonde's nod he opted to continue. "I lost this... doing my job a long time ago."

"Wow! Are you a Shinobi?" Naruto asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"No," Altaïr shook his head in denial. "Not a Shinobi; but something like it."

The blonde's smile grew immensely as he spoke again, "I'm going to be a strong Shinobi someday, the strongest in the whole village! One day, I'm going to be the Hokage. Then people will have to respect me."

"That is a worthy goal, and I'm sure you will succeed. With enough practice, anything is possible." Altaïr glanced at the height of the sun, judging it to be about midday. "I must be going. Perhaps our paths will cross another day, Naruto Uzumaki."

"Wait!" Naruto called, saddened by the departure of the man. It was not often that an adult would take interest in Naruto's goals. Many would call it childish, unrealistic, unattainable... but Altaïr hadn't. That had immediately brought the man a few notches up in Naruto's book. He desperately hoped that he would meet Altaïr again. Only time would tell.

X.x.X.x.X

"The Shodai Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was said to have created the lush forestry that surrounds Konoha single-handedly, using his Mokuton abilities." Iruka Umino lectured into his class of young children. As per usual, only around three quarters of the class was actually paying attention. The usual trio of Shikamaru Nara, Kiba Inuzuka and Chouji Akimichi were all dozing off, completely unaware that Iruka had spotted them doing so. Surprisingly enough, Naruto Uzumaki was not joining them in the land of snores. He was sitting up straight, paying attention. Iruka rubbed his eyes, not quite believing the sight. He blinked, shaking his head in disbelief. "Now who can tell me what his brother, Konoha's Nidaime Hokage, was famous for?" Iruka's levels of disbelief continued to escalate as he noticed Naruto's hand was up. "Yes, Naruto."

"Wasn't he really good with Suiton Jutsu?" Naruto asked, not sure of his answer.

Iruka blinked, surprised at the correct, although very limited, answer. "That's partially correct. He was also an extraordinary sensor, and more than adept at Time-Space Ninjutsu."

Despite not quite understanding his sensei's words, Naruto nodded. He was happy with his limited answer.

Murmurs began to circulate around the classroom. Naruto Uzumaki, the Naruto Uzumaki, class dobe, had answered a question correctly. It was almost unheard of.

"Any particular reason you've decided to pay attention in class Naruto?" Iruka asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"No reason," Naruto answered casually.

Iruka frowned at the answer. It could be a trick of his mind, but he could almost swear that he'd seen a sparkle flash in the Jinchuuriki's eye. It was a bit unnerving. Nonetheless, Iruka continued his lecture. "The Sandaime Hokage, also known as the God of Shinobi..."

X.x.X.x.X

Altaïr made his way throughout the crowded streets of Konoha. It'd been a week since he had arrived in the village, the day he'd met an interesting small blond. He'd immediately began searching for any insight on the Piece of Eden that was supposedly hidden somewhere on the island. So far his search had brought him zero results, as he hadn't even known where to begin looking. 'Why didn't I bring the apple with me? It would have aided me in my search greatly..." Dispersing such negative thoughts from his head, the famed Assassin made his way into a nearby bar. He quickly found an unoccupied stool and ordered a drink. After taking a small sip of his drink, Altaïr couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Now being a middle aged Assassin, and having survived countless battles, Altaïr could safely say he had a talent for identifying hostile intent. So when he locked eyes with a very drunk and very angry man, he wasn't necessarily surprised. "Can I help you?"

The man was a civilian who made a living working with his hands, if his calloused fingers were of any indication. He stood up from his booth and stumbled over to Altaïr. "You're the guy who was helping out the demon-boy..." His words were a barely identifiable slur at this point.

"Demon-boy?" Altaïr questioned. "I know of no such boy."

"Here's the thing..." The man ran a hand through his greasy hair. "I'll cut you a break because you're obviously new around here... But that boy, demon, that you were hanging around with is no good. He'll slit your throat the first chance he gets."

It was ironic in a way. To think of somebody, a child no less, slitting Altaïr's throat. "That boy is a perfectly normal child who needed some assistance. I see no wrong in my actions."

The man slammed his fist on the counter, his rage growing more and more with the man's words. "You don't understand! That thing's a demon. You don't know what he contains -"

An exaggerated cough escaped a man's throat as he set a hand on the drunk's shoulder. "Be careful with your words civilian."

The man gritted his teeth, turning around angrily to tell off whoever had the nerve to try and order him around. The drunk man's blood ran cold as he identified just who he'd been about to pick a fight with. Standing before him was Kakashi Hatake, a famous Konoha Jonin. "I'm sorry Hatake-san! It won't happen again!"

"Of course it won't," Kakashi agreed in a casual tone. "Because if you had gone just a little further... You'd be breaking the Sandaime's law. Then I'd have to kill you. Or maybe our friend here would do the honors? He seems armed well enough."

The man nodded frantically, assuring the Copy-nin that he would never speak of such things again. He stumbled away, fear-stricken panic sobering him up well enough to run.

"You are very observant Shinobi-san," Altaïr praised as he noted Kakashi take a seat next to him. The only weapon that Altaïr had on him at the moment was his hidden blade. "Although I thank you for your assistance."

"I suppose so," Kakashi agreed as he ordered himself a drink. "That's an interesting weapon. May I see it?"

"Of course," Altaïr nodded, flicking his left wrist. His hidden blade slid from its sheath silently, glinting in the dim glow of the room.

"What a convenient weapon. That would be a perfect weapon for an... Assassin." Kakashi stated offhandedly.

Altaïr's eyebrow rose in silent shock. "You've heard of me?"

"Not entirely... only rumors. Konoha isn't very informed about the rest of the world," Kakashi answered truthfully.

"I see," Altaïr nodded as he took a sip from his drink. "What of this boy; Naruto Uzumaki?"

"What of him?" Kakashi questioned. He didn't allow Altaïr time to speak, however, as he continued, "He's seven years old, his birthday is the tenth of October, his favorite food is ramen. Oh, and he's the container of the Kyubi no Yoko."

Now Altaïr was genuinely confused. He'd never heard of a Kyubi no Yoko. A Nine Tailed Demon Fox, if his Japanese was translated correctly, didn't exactly sound normal. "What of this law you spoke of? Does this only apply to civilians?"

"No," Kakashi answered. "It applies to everyone. I'm only telling you because, more than likely, you have no idea what I'm talking about. Even if you do, I doubt it'd matter much. The Kyubi no Yoko is a being of mass destruction; a demon in all right. Seven years ago it attacked Konoha, killing hundreds of people. In order to stop its massacre, the Yondaime Hokage sealed it into a young child."

"I see," Altaïr responded monotonously. It was a hard story to believe, no doubt. A demon being sealed into a child? Although to be fair, Altaïr was searching for an ancient artifact that granted its user extraordinary powers. He could detect no signs of deceit in Kakashi's voice, so he eventually put it off into the category of 'things that make zero living sense but still work'. "Is it possible for the fox to escape?"

"No. The Yondaime was a master of seals. You'd be surprised at what such a master could accomplish."

"Thank you for your time Kakashi-san," Altaïr bowed as he excused himself. "I'll be off now." 'The feats these people are able to accomplish... this chakra. Perhaps I should look into this.'

X.x.X.x.X

"What do you mean I can't come in?" Naruto shouted in disbelief as he stared at the old weapon smith.

"What part of we're closed don't you understand?" The man questioned angrily as he eyed the young boy.

"But it's only four! Your shop doesn't close until ten!" Naruto argued. "I have money."

"Today's a special occasion," the man answered. He was clothed in a brown shirt and a pair of torn trousers. His graying brunette hair reached to his shoulders. His rough facial hair seemed unkempt, masking his lip in greasy hair. "We closed early."

"I won't be long," Naruto assured the man. "I promise!"

"No means no you little brat! Now get outta hear before I run you out myself!"

Naruto blinked away tears at his denied entrance. Ever since his run in with the strange man, Altaïr, he'd actually started to pay attention in class. During one of Iruka-sensei's lectures Naruto had learned that restocking on ninja tools was a vital necessity. Naruto had been living off rusted kunai that he'd found lying around training grounds for the past year of class, and he'd decided that it just didn't cut it. After this decision the boy decided to buy new tools, digging into his savings over the years. Unfortunately for him, he was being denied entrance. 'It's not fair! I saved up all this money; it took me over a year! Why won't this big bully just let me in?'

"Who's being run out?" Altaïr's collect voice called as said man approached the shop. It was mere coincidence that he'd run into his young friend, as Altaïr had been out looking for replacement throwing knives. His stock had long since run out.

"Hello sir, welcome to Shiji's Shinobi Tools," the man turned towards his potential customer with a grin, a complete one-eighty of his previous attitude. "Don't worry about him; I was just getting rid of him..."

"Hold on," Altaïr held his hand dismissively. "I overheard your conversation with the boy. You aren't closed? I was going to find another blacksmith to take my money..."

"No, no! We are most certainly open. Just not for his kind..." The man assured Altaïr.

"You mean children? Fine, he will accompany me into the store and I'll purchase his goods. Is that all right?"

"I... Well," Shiji hesitated, glancing towards the pleading face of Naruto. Not one to lose a customer, he eventually conceded. "Fine. Just make it quick."

"Yatta!" Naruto shouted in triumph as he followed Altaïr into the store. "Thanks again mister!"

"You have no reason to be thanking me. No person should be denied entrance based on prejudice," Altaïr dismissed the boy's gratitude.

"Predju - what?"

"Nevermind that, just pick out what you want. I need to speak with the blacksmith." With these words the deadly Assassin made his way to the uneasy smith, intent on rectifying the man's mistake.

X.x.X.x.X

Sometime later Naruto and his new friend exited the store, each satisfied with the turn of events. The over-exuberant young blond walked away with a shiny new set of ninja tools; shuriken, kunai and the likes. For him it was his first real set of tools, something that didn't go unnoticed by Altaïr.

Speaking of Altaïr, he had custom ordered a new set of throwing knives. The kunai of this land were far too large for his taste. He preferred a smaller, less versatile knife. It seemed that the Shinobi of Konoha used the Kunai in much the same way that Altaïr used his hidden blade; as a sort of all purpose tool. He also took note of the design of Konohagakure's blades. The Katana that they used were all slightly shorter than his own blade, and also single-sided. They seemed to be weapons more adept to speed and quickness than lengthy confrontations. He tossed around the idea of purchasing one, but eventually opted to not. His blade more than good enough for his tastes. "So Naruto...?"

"Yeah?" Naruto answered, staring at the middle-aged man in wonder. It almost reminded Altaïr of the way he had looked at Al Mualim. Shaking his head, the Assassin decided to ponder upon those thoughts on another occasion.

"Where exactly do you live?"

Naruto looked confused as he answered the question, "The old man gave me my own apartment after I was thrown out of the orphanage. Why?"

Altaïr looked at Naruto with conflicting emotions. On one hand, he genuinely felt bad for the young child. He didn't believe the boy would be able to live well on his own, with the way the general populace seemed to hate him. On the other, Altaïr had decided that he'd have to stay in Konoha longer than originally intended. He was almost positive that a Piece of Eden was hidden somewhere in the mysterious island. "I'm going to be staying in Konoha for a while. Instead of looking for an apartment, would it be possible that I room with you. Of course I would pay rent."

The Jinchuuriki looked at Altaïr in wonder. "You mean you want to live with me?"

"If you would tolerate me," Altaïr answered affirmative.

"Sweet! I've never had a roommate before. Can you teach me to be a ninja?" Naruto questioned eagerly.

Altaïr chuckled. "I thought I'd told you already, I'm not a ninja. Isn't that why you have the Ninja Academy?"

"Yeah," Naruto conceded, put off by the apparent denial. "But that place is so boring! All we ever do is learn history of the village and stuff like that! I wanna learn how to do cool jutsu."

"Why do you want to become strong, Naruto?" Altaïr questioned, seemingly out of no where.

"Um," Naruto pondered the question. The obvious answer for him would be to start spouting about how he was going to be Hokage. For some reason Naruto decided against this approach. "I want to be strong... So I can protect the whole village! I'll show them that they should have never doubted Naruto Uzumaki!"

'Well the acknowledgement part could change, his underlying belief is sound. Perhaps I could...? No, he is too young. But then again, I wasn't much older when I began to learn The Creed.'

X.x.X.x.X

Arriving at the small apartment, Altaïr could honestly say he had his work cut out for him. Calling the home a mess would be an enormous understatement. Stains of all sorts decorated the otherwise unappealing carpeting, and empty containers of instant ramen were littered throughout the room. Add on to that the disgusting smell that seemed to radiate from the fridge and one could begin to see the reason for Altaïr's despair. 'We can work on this on another day. I could probably buy a better apartment with only the money I brought... But right now, how do I break this to him?'

"Naruto," Altaïr's monotone voice ended the silence of the small apartment. "You said you want to be a ninja. What could you do as a ninja?"

Naruto's eyes lit up as he told of his dream, "Ninjas can do all these amazing Jutsu, using hand signs! They can breathe fire, make clones of themselves and make illusions from their minds!"

"I see," Altaïr nodded as he thought over this information. 'The clone part seems familiar, I remember Al Mualim pulling off something similar during our battle. And the illusions... interesting. It also seems they can control the elements, at least to a degree.' After a moment of silence he spoke again, "Can you do any of these feats?"

Naruto's mood deflated. "No... But the old man says that once I graduate from the Academy I'll be able to! Why?"

"You remember when I told you that my job is similar to a Shinobi?" Altaïr questioned intently. Seeing the blond nod he continued, "While I am an Assassin. I am the leader of an Assassin Order based in a far away land. We typically remain discreet, acting in secrecy and striking without our victims ever knowing of our existence." He paused, letting the explanation sink in. "We may not have the abilities that Shinobi do, but we make by with what we do possess. Throughout history the Assassin's have ensured the peace, though our means of doing so have been questioned at times. It is like this... We fight from the dark, to ensure the light remains."

The Jinchuuriki was awed by the man's explanation. "So you're like Shinobi, only without chakra?"

"I suppose you could say that," Altaïr confirmed. "I ask you this; I was considering expanding the Assassin Order to new territories. Would you like to be the first to join?"

Naruto's eyes widened at the proposition. He would finally become strong, but at what cost? "Would that mean... That I'd have to give up being a ninja?"

Altaïr shook his head as he'd already thought through that course of action. "No. I am proposing a schedule that will... benefit both sides. During the day you will, as always, go to the Ninja Academy. I have activities that I need to do during the day as well. When you get home, I'll teach you the ways of The Creed. Plus, you could teach me about this chakra of yours. I've wanted to learn about it since I arrived."

The blond nodded eagerly, excited at the recent turn for the better his life had experienced. "Sure! I'm not very good with mine yet, but I'll probably get better. How long are you staying in Konoha?"

"I'll be here for the next four years, which should be plenty of time to teach you the basics of being an Assassin. Of course you will need to continue training after I'm gone, as four years isn't enough time to become a full fledged Assassin."

"I promise I will," Naruto accepted immediately. "Can we start now?"

"Eager are we?" Altaïr asked as his lips curled into a small smile. "The first thing you need to memorize is this; nothing is true, everything is permitted."

X.x.X.x.X

Well that's the prologue of my new story. I figured I'd post it, see how you guys like the idea. I've always been a huge fan of Assassin's Creed, and after seeing the Revelations trailer this idea just came to me. In this story Naruto will focus heavily on stealth, something I think both the manga and Assassin's Creed II and Brotherhood should have integrated better. Please review; tell me how you like it so far and what you'd like to see. I've got the basics down so far, but I'm always open to new ideas. Also I'm not sure of the pairing, if any, at the moment. So drop your boy some reviews, they'd be much appreciated. Remember: Reviews = Faster Writing/More Ideas.