Chapter V

Asuma took a drag from his cigarette and sighed. This was turning out to be a long day. He looked down at Ino and couldn't help but give a little wince, not a big one, no, no, no, he was a Jonin and he would not be fazed by a little bit of brutality. He glanced at Naruto who had a black blindfold wrapped around his eyes to prevent him from seeing anything. He was trying to get his team more aware of their surroundings and being able to use their other senses in case they ever wound up in a situation where their eyes would be useless, and since it was his turn to have Naruto part of his team for the week, the boy would have the same training. They would fight, eat, sleep, and anything else they did with the blindfold on. "Not so easy is it?"

"Beating Ino was a piece of cake, trying to hit her in the right places was the challenge." Naruto sat down on the grass and looked up at Asuma. "How long do I have to wear this stupid thing?"

"The entire week you are part of my team. I placed a seal on the blindfold to prevent you from taking it off, and at the end of the week I'll remove them for you."

Ino, who was wearing a purple blindfold, wiped the blood from under her nose and rolled onto her back. "How am I supposed to get ready in the morning if I can't see? I need to look amazing for Sasuke!"

Shikamaru just sighed. His dilemma was that he wouldn't be able to watch the clouds for an entire week. How depressing. Plus, he would have to hear Ino complain about everything which was tiring and he could swear the sound of Choji eating his chips became much louder. Then he had Naruto whose goal had been to cause them as much pain as possible. This entire thing was troublesome.

Naruto glared in the direction he heard Ino's voice. "It doesn't matter how much make-up you put on, or how great you make your hair look, ugly will always be ugly."

"What did you say?" Ino growled out.

"You heard me."

"Don't start you two," Asuma sighed, taking another drag from his cigarette. They had been insulting each other all morning and he felt like he was going to lose it. "Let's go and get an assignment."

Naruto stood up and followed Asuma towards the tower. All he had to do was follow the sound of the man's voice, which was easier said than done as the man would rather smoke his cigarette than have a conversation with him. He hated the missions the Hokage had been assigning him. It seemed like they were testing all of the Genin's patience to see who would snap first, or to see if they could keep themselves from killing a target that needed to be captured alive no matter how infuriating the target was. It was like they were being trained on how to properly handle a mission or see how quickly they could complete them. What bugged him though was that they were disguised as chores and not actual mission scenarios.

Naruto could remember the mission he was required to do with Kurenai's team last week. They were assigned to clean a small park and he had decided to actually participate and shoot them an idea. The park had three sections to it and if they split up into groups of two, he would be alone since he could make a clone, they could clean the park much faster. Apparently the team thought he was just a ride along and completely ignored his idea and went with Kiba's which was to go around the entire park in one group to clean up. He said that since there would be more people in the group it would get done faster. Yes, they had managed to clean the sections faster, but since people came in and out of the park at constant pace thing that pissed him off the most was that Kurenai didn't even try to get her team to work with him since the entire point of having him jump from one team to the next was so he could have better teamwork with all of his fellow Genin.

Asuma walked into the Hokage's office followed by his four Genin. The Hokage looked up at the group and give them the same smile he gave everyone who walked into his office. "Here for a mission I presume?" At Asuma's nod the Hokage looked over the missions that he had. He grabbed two scrolls and placed them both in front of him. "Tora has managed to escape again."

Naruto looked at Asuma hoping the man would decline the offer. One reason was that he couldn't see a damn thing, and the second was that the cat was a spawn of all evil and got off on torturing fresh out of the Academy ninja.

"We'll capture the cat." Asuma glanced at Naruto who looked ready to kill. Maybe he should have waited for the second option?

The Hokage just smiled at the team before getting back to work. "Good luck."

Rin leaned against a tree holding her stomach in pain. The spar against Kakashi had gone worse than what she had hoped for, not incredibly bad, but could have gone better. She had tried to get to know the future Kakashi a bit better, find out what had happened to him, but ended up being completely ignored and treated like just another one of his students. He showed the Uchiha more attention than her and that really pissed her off. She understood that it was probably weird seeing your dead teammate young and alive, but that didn't mean he had to be a prick. Rin looked up at Kakashi who had Sasuke and Sakura at his side. "What do you want?"

Kakashi pulled out his book and started to walk out of the training field. "The Hokage has summoned us to his office."

Rin pushed herself off of the tree and followed her team out of the field. The trip to the tower was pretty short, quiet, and personally unwanted. She didn't want to do any mission, especially any important mission as they usually ended up taking up to about a week or more to complete. All she wanted to do was relax and do, well, nothing. Kakashi has been forcing them to wake up at the break of dawn and they usually weren't dismissed until sundown or later and that really got on her nerves. Naruto, her only friend seeing as all of her old ones were much older or dead, seemed to be the reason for Kakashi's long days of being active. Once she told him about her and Naruto training with each other after they were dismissed from their teams, he suddenly tried to either tire her out to the point where she didn't want to do anything, or he held them for as long as he could so she didn't have time to do anything. It also wasn't like she was able to make friends outside of her team because of those reasons, and she didn't get along with her team at all. Sakura seemed to always have something to say about her decision to be around her blond friend and it was negative most of the time, and then there is Sasuke who was simply an asshole and wanted nothing to do with her. It was like the younger Kakashi all over again, only this time she had a dislike for her teammate.

Kakashi walked into the office and saw Asuma's team, minus Naruto, standing in front of the aged Hokage. "You wished to see us?"

The Hokage nodded and took a puff from his pipe. "I did. I was going through the files and noticed that a lot of our ninja don't know how to handle certain missions, and that this could be a problem. See not all Chuunins have been trained, or have even been on certain missions, and I feel it would be good to start training our Genin on how to handle these types of missions with the watchful eye of an experienced Jonin." The Hokage pulled out a file and handed it to Asuma. "As an experiment, you and Asuma's team will be assigned to a joint mission. I shall brief you when Naruto comes back from washing his hands."

Kakashi put his book away and gave Asuma a curious look. "Why is Naruto washing his hands?"

Asuma took a drag from his cigarette and sighed, he wasn't too happy with the blond. "We were assigned to capture Tora and during the chase Naruto got frustrated and instead of capturing the cat he killed it. The way he killed the feline was pretty brutal so I am not going into any details about it."

Rin frowned when she heard that. She didn't know that Naruto could be that violent when he got frustrated. He never tried to kill, or even hurt her when they sparred against each other, even when he got frustrated or mad, so why would he brutally kill a cat out of frustration? Rin was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the door to the office open. She saw Naruto, who had a blindfold on unlike his teammates, walk into the room followed by a woman she recognized to be Anko.

The Hokage watched Asuma remove Naruto's blindfold before starting his explanation. "This will be a B-Rank mission and I feel that you all should be fine with Asuma and Kakashi at your side. This mission is to show you seven what really happens in our world, and I can't tell you how many of our ninja have died because they weren't prepared for what they had encountered."

The Hokage looked over the young faces and noticed that the rookies looked a bit worried, excluding Naruto who looked a bit excited, and Rin who has done this before. "Your mission is to find a certain person who is hiding somewhere North of Konoha. Kakashi and Asuma will be in charge of only six of you while the seventh will be taken by Anko here to oversee the second portion of this mission. We have found out that one of our own, who has been taken into custody, has been working with this criminal. He goes by the name of Mister M and this is where the seventh person comes in."

The dangerous glint that flashed through Naruto's eyes didn't go unnoticed by the aging leader. He knew that this man was one of the ninja that had made Naruto's life a living hell and he was going to use the boy's hate to his advantage. There was a lot of things the Hokage didn't like doing and this one of them, but he had to keep the village safe and if that meant having a twelve year-old torture a man then so be it. "While the first group is out looking for the target, the second will be interrogating Mister M for information. We need to know what our target looks like, where he is, who he has working for him, and so on. You will be wearing a pair of headsets so the person integrating can tell you what he or she has learned and you can tell him or her if it is valid or not."

"Naruto, you will be going with Anko to interrogate Mister M while the rest of you will be using the information you receive to find the target. Are there any questions?" Sarutobi nodded towards Ino who had raised her hand.

Ino looked at her feet, she was becoming extremely nervous. "Are we supposed to capture the target alive or kill him?"

"You need to capture the target alive. You have permission to kill whoever apposes you, but the target must be kept alive. Are there any other questions?" Sarutobi looked at the group and took a puff of his pipe. "No? Good. You are all dismissed."

Naruto looked up at Anko who was currently chewing on a toothpick looking over a shelf of tools. "So… When do I get to beat on my victim?"

"As soon as you pick out what you are going to use to gather information. Luckily, for you, I like to use brute force while the others like to fuck with the mind. I don't know why, but beating on someone with bat or mallet is really satisfying." Anko looked down at Naruto and gave him a wicked smirk. "Don't be afraid to get nasty…"

Naruto looked over the shelf of tools and grabbed a utility knife. He looked at Anko who raised an eyebrow at his choice. "May I pick another one?"

Anko shrugged her shoulders. "I don't care."

Naruto stared at the tools for a second before lifting a Monkey Wrench off of the shelf. He swung it back and forth to make sure it was heavy enough to actually cause damage before looking up at Anko who was a little surprised. "I'm ready."

"Follow me!"

Naruto followed Anko into a room that was completely made of concrete. Lights hung from the ceiling and in the middle of the room sat Mister M whose wrists and ankles were duct taped to the legs and arm rests of the metal chair. He had a seal on his left shoulder that prevented him from using any Chakra to help himself escape or ease the pain. Naruto looked at Anko who had an unrecognizable glint in her eye. "So what do I do?"

Anko walked up to the victim and removed the bag that was covering his face. She removed the duct tape from his mouth and punched him. "Don't make any kind of noise until you're given permission." She looked at Naruto who looked as if he was struggling with something. "First you ask him his name, but since I already got that out of him we can skip that step! After that you ask him to cough up the information you want, and when he either refuses or lies, you use your preferred method to try and convince the victim to change their mind about their answer!" Anko eyed Naruto and let a feral grin spread across her face when she saw his internal struggle cease. His expression morphed into one of pure hate and she could have sworn she saw his blue eyes flash red. "Get to work whenever you're ready."

Naruto took the headset from Anko and placed it in his ear. He tightened his grip on the wrench and glared at the man who had done everything he could to make his life hell. He was covered in sweat and his brown hair was sticking to his forehead. His brown eyes looked at him in fear, and maybe even regret. Naruto didn't know and didn't care. The man didn't regret what he did, he was just regretting his slip-up and the slip-up was going to be his last.

"We have found the camp, Naruto, we're waiting on you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow when he heard Sasuke's come through the headset, but didn't question it. He walked over to Mr. M and poked at his knee with the wrench. "This will all go by much faster if you tell us who you are working for. The more you lie and refuse to speak, the more painful this will become. Who is this criminal you decided to work for?"

Mr. M looked down at his feet. He didn't want to be here, especially with the kid who was waiting for an answer. He was genuinely scared for his life. "He didn't tell me his name! I have no idea who he is!"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and gripped the wrench with both hands. "You're bringing this upon yourself." Naruto brought the wrench into a swinging position and slammed it into Mr. M's knee-cap. The sound of the knee-cap shattering and Mr. M's scream vibrated the walls of the room. Naruto glanced at Mr. M's white pants, they were becoming soaked with blood to the point a puddle on the floor was starting form. "I hope you planned on retiring soon."

"I told you the fucking truth!" The pain was unbearable. He couldn't feel any other part of his body, just the severe pain and blood that was running down his leg.

"Now that I think about it… We don't really need his name…" Naruto fingered the handle of the wrench idly and watched his victim squirm and whimper.

"Any day now, Uzumaki, we don't have all the time in the world."

Naruto sighed in annoyance and pressed a button on his headset. "Have some fucking patience, you ungrateful cocksucker." Naruto looked back at Mr. M who was still shaking. "Tell me what he looks like."

"He… He…. He has black hair that goes down to his shoulders. He…is very pale, and a lot shorter than most people." Mr. M tried to calm down his breathing to no avail. "H-h-his eyes are green with a scar that goes through his left eye. A-a-a black and red dragon is tattooed on his left arm."

Naruto nodded and pressed the button on his headset. "The target has black hair that goes down to his shoulders; his eyes are green with a scar that goes through his left eye. He is pale, shorter than the average person, and has a black and red dragon tattoo on his left arm."

"That's all you got out of him?"

"What do you want, his life story? That should be enough information unless you're blind… Is there something you wish to tell me, Uchiha?"

"You're an asshole. This camp has a lot of tents and our target is inside side one of them. Figure out what tent our target uses."

"A please would be nice," Naruto muttered.

"Why were you picked for the interrogation again?"

"Because you lack the sack to actually pull this off, you pussy…" Naruto dropped the wrench to the floor and pulled the utility knife out of his pocket. He walked over to Mr. M and grabbed him by the face with one hand and started to make small cuts on the corners of his mouth. "The less you tell me, the bigger your smile will get."

"I'll tell you whatever you want! Please don't kill me, I have a family!" Mr. M ignored the trail of blood that slid down the corners of his mouth. "Would you place the people you care for in this position?"

Naruto stayed silent and clenched his fists. "No. No I wouldn't." Naruto brought his fist back and punched his victim in the mouth, knocking out a few teeth. "But because of you and the rest of this shithole, I have nobody who cares for me, or for me to care about." Naruto punched Mr. M in the cheek, snapping his head to the side sending blood to the floor. Naruto watched the cuts start to rip up his victims' cheek towards the ear which surprised him a bit. He thought it would have taken a bit more strikes before the muscles started to contract. "Now…back to business…" Naruto threw the knife to the floor and picked the wrench back up. "What kind of tent does your criminal boss stay in?"

"...It's brown with fur hanging from the top…" Mister M spat out the blood filling his mouth, he just wanted this to be over. "I-I-it's the tallest one in the camp…"

Naruto put his finger to his headset, not taking his eyes of his victim. "The tent is brown with fur from hanging from the top. It's the tallest one there."

"About fucking time… We see the tent, we're moving in."

Naruto looked at Anko who was leaning against the wall with her arms folded. "Do we just wait, or what?"

Anko nodded. "We wait until they confirm that they have the target, and if they end up not having him we continue with the interrogation."

"You call this an interrogation? It's torture!"

Naruto ignored his victim and kept silent. He didn't have to wait too long for Sasuke to let him know they have their target captured and mostly unharmed. He looked up at Anko who had pushed herself away from the wall. "They found and captured him. Now what do we do?"

"Well…" Anko eyed the man tied to the chair with no ounce of pity. "Seeing as he has served his usefulness, I say do what you wish! Meet me outside when you're done!"

Naruto watched Anko leave with a skip in her step before turning towards Mr. M who was looking at him with pure fear in his eyes.

"Please! No! Let me go! I gave you what you wanted!"

Naruto ignored the man's cry and gripped the wrench with both hands. Mr. M watched the wrench rise above Naruto's head before he it swung down, smashing his crotch. Mr. M screamed at the top of his lungs when his genitals exploded on impact, soaking his thighs blood and other liquids. Naruto bent down and picked up the utility knife from the floor. He looked at Mr. M and then back at the knife, a thoughtful expression flashing across his features.

Anko turned around when she heard the door open and saw Naruto who was covered in blood walk out of the building. "What the fuck happened?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and wiped the blood off of his forehead with his arm. "I'd rather not talk about it." Naruto ignored all of the people staring at him in shock and looked up at Anko. "Think we could get me cleaned off? I don't think the Hokage would be too happy seeing me like this…"

"Of course, but kid, what the fuck did you do!?" Anko stared the blond in front of her in shock. She couldn't remember seeing any Genin covered in as much blood as the one standing in front of her.

"I already told you, I don't want to talk about it." Naruto started walking down the street towards his apartment. "Are you coming with me, or are you going to the tower alone? I would rather you not tell the Hokage what happened, especially because you gave me permission."

Anko quickly caught up to the blond and folded her arms. "You are a one of kind, kid."

"So I've been told."

Rin walked towards Konoha with her team, dragging their unconscious victim behind her by his hair. She wasn't in the best mood and she felt like knocking out both Sakura and Ino for their annoying little arguments over the Uchiha. It didn't stop and it seemed like it wasn't going to stop. Kakashi just read his stupid book while Asuma lit up a cigarette and ignored them. It was infuriating! She passed through the gates of Konoha, dropping their target, and quickened her pace towards the tower, eager to get this mission over.

The Hokage looked up from his work when he heard his door open and saw Rin walk into his office followed closely by her teammates. "I take it the mission was successful?"

Kakashi put his book away and nodded. "Asuma and his team are taking care of the target as we speak."

Sarutobi looked back the door when he saw Anko and Naruto walk into the room, one with a smile and the other looking a bit irritated. "I am proud to report a flawless interrogation!"

The aging Hokage nodded and lit up his pipe. "Good. We're going to wait for Asuma and his Genin to show up before we close this assignment." Sarutobi eyed the ninja in his room with hint of pride. The door opened again to reveal Asuma and his three Genin, all of them looking a bit tired. "We are going to have another rookie Genin team interrogate your captured target in preparation for the second part of this assignment. During that time you are to rest up and get yourselves prepared." He looked at the slightly relieved expressions on the face of the Genin's standing in front of him. "Congratulations for a successful mission, and I will summon you when we are ready. You're dismissed."

Naruto instantly left the tower, not even waiting for the Jonin to leave first. He stopped in the middle of the hallway when Rin appeared in front of him with a smile on her face.

"Want to go get something to eat?"

Naruto gave her a smile and nodded. "Sure, but I get to pick the place this time!"

"Alright, but you have to tell me how it went with Anko!"

The smile fell off of Naruto's face as he let himself get pulled out of the tower by Rin who had grabbed his arm. He had lost control and he needed find a way to get control of his emotions. Killing someone like he did front of Rin was something he didn't want. He didn't want her to see it; she didn't need to see that side of him.

-End-