The Oni

Authors Note: This is set after the sand and sound invasion. Kankuro did not throw his fight to Shino. Neji and Shino were made Chunin in addition to Shikamaru. Four years have passed making Naruto 16.


Chapter 1

After ten years you think a person would get used to having a voice talking to them in their head. A voice that is not their own, a voice of a blood thirsty demon.

--

Naruto rolled over and looked at the clock. It was already 9 am, he needed to get up and meet with his team at 9:30 to talk about their next mission. Groaning he fell out of bed and made some ramen and thought about the night before...

--
(Night before in the Hokage's office)

"Oi Obaa-chan, this mission better not be like the last one. I'm getting tired of this pansy-ass assignments." Naruto his usual self did not bother to notice that the Hokage herself usually didn't give them their assignments.

SMACK!!!

"Have some respect." Kakashi sighed, he would get yelled at again if Naruto didn't keep quiet. Remembering the last time...*shudders*

"Thank you Kakashi-sensei, for once. As you know I have called you here to give you your next mission assignment. This is an A-class mission and you will be working with another team if you choose to accept the assignment. I-"

"Who is the other team??" interrupted Naruto, earning him another sharp smack on the head from Kakashi.

"That is not important. All you need to know is wether you will accept the mission or not. This is a top secret mission. You may not tell anyone that you are working with another team or that you are even leaving."

'This must serious. As strong as this team has gotten I am not sur they are ready for something this important.' Kakashi was less than thrilled with the way the Hokage was going with this...

"There is a clan of ninja that has been discovered. They call themselves the Oni. As far as we can tell their clan is only made of orphans and runaways. They are experts on stealth and the defenses surrounding them are near impenetrable. I want you to infiltrate the clan and find as much information on them as possible. There are reasons I have chosen this team. This mission may well take up to six months, if not longer. I'll give you the night to think about it. Naruto, I need a private word with you."

Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi walk out. Kakashi casts a semi worried back at the Hokage and Naruto

"Sure thing Obaa-chan!"

Smack!

"Do not call me that!"

"Stop hitting me!"

"Enough! Naruto, what I am going to tell is very important. If you accept this mission, you must tell your teammates, meaning Sakura, Sasuke, and the new team about Kyuubi."

"NANI?!? TELL THEM! BUT THEY WILL HATE ME!"

"Do I hate you?"

"No."

"Does Kakashi hate you?"

"NO!!"

"Does Iruka hate you?"

"no.."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. Trust your teammates. As for the new team, well don't worry about it."
--

Naruto saw Sakura, no longer the object of his affections, and Sasuke as he walked up to the tree they were meeting at. It was relief to Naruto and his team when he realized he didn't like Sakura anymore. It was an even bigger relief when Sakura realized she didn't like Sasuke. It made their team closer. They could now talk about anything, absolutely anything. That was something none of knew they needed. People to confide in, people they could trust with their lives, people they could tell their secrets to.

Kakashi was hidden in a tree a few meters away but he could tell what his team had decided. He had thought this might happen. They were ready, especially since they had gotten so close now. But that did nothing to ease his worry. Since the trouble with the reforming of the other teams Kakashi was truly worried that he had no clue who he might have to work with.

'I just hope its not Gai. Might as well go down.'

POOF!

"YOU'RE LATE!!!" yelled the three genin. Ever since they had gotten closer Sasuke had joined in their daily rutine of yelling at their sensei, even if he wasn't actually yelling.

"Yo, sry. You I got caught up in the revelations about-"

"LIAR!!!"

"Yeh so you caught me. Anyways, we all know why we are here. Anyone have anything to say?"

Knowing what they were going to say Naruto still wanted to say something, just to make sure.

"Yep. I know this mission is going to be tough, and we will be away from home for a long time. I probably won't get to eat as much ramen as I need. I think we should go. We need to get serious about our missions and this is a perfect one to start on!"

'He really is starting to grow up' thought Naruto's team mates and his sensei.

"Besides, when I am Hokage I need to know things about people outside the village. Like their fighting styles and what kind of ramen they like so when they visit i can make sure they get to eat what they want!"

Sighing the other three shinobi did not bother to point out the fact that a Hokage really didn't need to know what type of ramen foreign ninja liked.

"So that would be a yes from Mr. Loud Mouth. What about you two?"

*nod* from Sasuke.

"Of course! We can't keep taking the easy missions! Bring it on!"
Inner Sakura: 'Hell yeh! A-class mission here I come!'

After they had dispelled their crush feelings for each other they all seemed a bit more open. If that is even possible for Naruto.

'I can handle Naruto but Sakura too? Jeeze, maybe it was better when they had their crushes.'

--

Hokage's Office 3:00 pm

"YOU ARE LATE!!!"

Team 7's gennin point to Kakashi as say,"All his fault!"

"Hey, Naruto is the one that had to stop for ramen."

"You are the one who kept buying me more bowls."

"YOU could of stopped eating"

"NANI?!? And waste ramen? Thats just criminal!"

"QUIET! Kakasi, please do not use Naruto's love of ramen as an exuse, you are supposed to be the adult...*muttering under breath, especially with those books you read*..."

"Sorry Obaa-chan! Kakashi-sensei didn't mean to be a baka."

DOUBLE SMACK!

"Anyways, what is your desicion?"

"We accept."

'Thank goodness, I didn't think Kakashi would. But then again, if the kids wanted to he wouldn't stand in their way. Good thing I am putting them with him.'

"Well, now that you have accepted the mission I can show you your extended team mates."

*door opens*

'This is worse than Gai.'

------

Iruka just made jounin. It had taken him a couple of years but he did it. He was very excited because now he would have his own team of genin to train. Sure he would miss the younger students but this would be a new challenge. And perhaps it would give him a chance to 'happen' to see a certain someone more frequently. At any rate he spent his first few days preparing on how to test his new students, only to find he was getting them in a rather unconventional way.


One Month Before

Tsunade's office

Knock Knock

"Come in."

Iruka pokes his head through the door. "You wanted to see me Hokage sama?" said Iruka, while wondering what Hyuuga Hinata, Gaara of the Sand, and Rock Lee were doing there.

"Yes, come in and have a seat Iruka. I would like to introduce you to your new students."

"Mmmy n-new s-students?" stuttered Iruka, sounding more like Hinata than himself.

"Yes thats what I said. YOUR new students. This is the genin team you will be training. Since I, and the other Jounin instructors were finding the teams too unbalanced, I decided to remake them so there were not different levels of ninja in the same group."

"I see. Umm...but what is a sand ninja doing here?"

Gaara's face clouded over but not with the desire to kill, instead with dulled anger, shame, and a look that clearly showed he wanted to be in Sand.

"Well, after the invasion the citizens of Sand were ashamed at what happened and left the village. They didn't have anyone but the shinobi left. None of them wanted to run shops, farms, or do the other necessary things to keep a village alive. They went to the leader of the country to ask for people to be moved there or for permission to change the village's location to another town but he said no. He also said that none of them were welcomed in Wind country as Sand nins anymore . So, not wanting to give the shinobi life they have all dispersed to the other hidden villages. Gaara's siblings were made chunin before everyone left Sand. They are the only three to come to leaf."

"Wow. Well then welcome to Leaf Gaara." smiled Iruka at the downcast and foreboding boy.

"*Gaara glare*"

"Heee...ummm...*cough*", Iruka sweat drops.

"Yes well, now that you have all met I need to train extremely hard for the next month, working mainly on team work and being able to read each other's moves. At the end of the month you will be going on a A-class mission with another team for an extended amount of time."

"A month? But Hokage sama surely they won't be ready by then, and they are only genin, I just started this position. Wouldn't one of the other jounin be better suited for this?"

"Right now we are thin on people and I specifically picked this group to work with the other one. Also there are reasons for which I picked you to lead them."

"Who is the other team Hokage sama?" asked Lee.

"You needn't know that until after the month is up."

"What if we do not want the mission? Aren't w-we all-lowed to turn down a mission if we think we are not up to it?" asked Hinata. 'I don't think i can handle a A-class mission.'

"Under normal circumstances yes, but do to lack of shinobi you do not have a choose. Even if there were enough I would still not let this group refuse this task. No more questions. I suggest you get started."

One Month Later

Iruka opens the door to Tsunade's office and blushes...

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AN: Please review! I need support! *looks down* ooopsies....in more way than one it seems! :P