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Anbu Headquarters;
Naruto and Hawk appeared inside the Anbu headquarters in a swirl of swirling leaves. Naruto looked around at his surroundings but was quite puzzled by the lack of Anbu personnel around.
"It is regular to see the headquarters almost empty. Teams have missions and assignments to complete, and they rarely stay in the headquarters for long." Hawk said this upon seeing Naruto's confusion, causing Naruto to nod in understanding.
"You have already seen the way to the headquarters. You must ensure that you aren't followed by anyone when coming here. There are also other Anbu outposts in the village and outside it. You will learn their location with time." Hawk said, to which Naruto nodded
"Let's go, we are going to the armory," Hawk said before starting to walk with Naruto following him, still looking at the layout of the place
As they reached the armory, Hawk reached for a closed locker and opened it. After reaching inside, he pulled out a set of folded black clothing, a grey flak jacket, metal arm guards, gloves, and a black cloak before handing them to Naruto.
"Go change into these and come back. There is a bathroom right there." Hawk said, pointing at the bathroom.
"Yes, Hawk-taichou," Naruto said before disappearing into the bathroom
A minute later, Naruto came out with his Anbu uniform on without the black cloak. He sealed it along with the clothes he had on him before. Hawk gave him a look for a second before nodding slightly.
"This should fit you perfectly, and when they become too tight, as you are still growing, you can ask your Anbu team captain for replacements," Hawk said, to which Naruto nodded
Hawk then turned around towards the locker once more before taking out a couple of pouches and a short sheathed sword, before handing them to Naruto.
"For every mission, you will have some equipment allocated to you, like shuriken, kunai, and other things. If you want to add more things like more paper bombs or a better medical kit, you will need to pay for it from your own pocket." Hawk said as Naruto strapped the pouches on the back of his waist.
"Can I use a different blade?" Naruto asked as he strapped the sword on his back. He wants to know if he can use other blades, especially since he will soon be able to use The Yamato effectively.
"Yes, you can. This is just the standard-issue sword given to all Anbu operatives, as they are expected to learn some Kenjutsu. If they change the blade or do not use it at all, then it is up to them," Hawk said, to which Naruto nodded as he checked if his equipment was secured.
"Now follow me," Hawk said as he led Naruto to a wall of the armory that was filled with animal masks.
"Pick one," Hawk said as he gestured at the wall.
Naruto looked at the masks on the wall. All of them were masks that were made with an animal's face in mind; the fiercer the animal, the more menacing. But that didn't mean that a person who wore a seemingly peaceful animal mask would mean that he is weak or something. An Anbu operative may be wearing a squirrel mask, but he can be an absolute menace on the battlefield.
The entire meaning of a fiercer mask is to be a fear factor. Especially since the eyeholes of the mask don't usually show the wearer's eyes, making the vacant look of the eyeholes seem more terrifying to opponents.
While examining the assortment of masks in front of him, Naruto noticed one that stood out. The mask was at the end of the first row, looking very clean—unlike some of the other masks that had dust on them—indicating it was recently added.
The mask was intimidating with a fierce look, resembling a dragon's face. Horns extended from the forehead and swept backward. The eyes were slightly narrowed, giving a fierce and intense gaze. The snout looked carved, protruding slightly outward with nose holes and a mouth holding two fangs coming out of the upper lip. To add detail, the outline of the eye holes was painted with red paint, ending with sharp edges. There was also a red flame-like pattern painted on each side of the mouth, tapering up each cheek to mimic the remnants of a dragon's fire breath.
Naruto walked towards the mask before picking it up from its place and looked at it closely.
"I will take this one," Naruto said, looking at Hawk
"That one, huh. Hope you do it justice. A dragon is a symbol of power and intelligence." Hawk said.
Hawk knew this mask as it wasn't new. Let's just say, the last Anbu operative who had it didn't do well. He was reckless and didn't know his limits, which got him killed on his first mission out of Anbu training, trying to impress his Anbu captain. That is why the mask is new, as it was recently added back to the collection after that Anbu operative died.
"From now on, your code name is Dragon(Ryuu). Wear it with pride." Hawk said.
"Yes, Hawk-taichou," Naruto said as he tried the mask on.
He turned towards a mirror beside the hanging masks and looked at his reflection. His Anbu uniform, along with the mask on his face, gave him an air of mystery and intimidation. But there was a problem. His hand went through his vibrant red hair. While he likes his hair, it sticks out like a sore thumb. The color of his hair is very distinctive in the village and the ninja world, which means that his identity as Naruto and an Uzumaki can be easily guessed.
Naruto took off his mask and placed it on a table before unsealing his sealing kit, along with a small slip of paper, and began to draw a seal on the paper.
"What are you doing?" Hawk asked with slight intrigue in his voice as he looked at what Naruto was doing.
"My Hair color is too unique, so I need to do something about it, especially since I already have an entry in the bingo book with my description," Naruto said while drawing the seal.
After a couple of moments, Naruto finished drawing the seal. He then took a look at it for a second to make sure everything was in order before sticking the paper slip into the inside part of the mask. Right in the upper section of the mask.
Naruto then tried the mask back on, and under Hawk's slight amazement, Naruto's usual vibrant red hair turned black in a moment.
"What did you do?" Hawk asked with amazement. Usually, Anbu operatives would use fake hair attached to their masks or dye their hair a different color. He had never seen Naruto's method.
"It is a fuinjutsu-based Genjutsu used to change my hair color, which means it can't be disturbed by normal means. You can only break the seal or remove the mask to see my real hair color." Naruto said as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.
"How much chakra does it consume, and can this be implemented to other Anbu operatives?" Hawk asked as he was quite impressed with the seal and Naruto's skills in Fuinjutsu.
"The seal's chakra consumption is very minor, almost none. You can offer it to the other Anbu operatives, and if they want one, send them my way." Naruto said, looking at Hawk.
"That is good. Now there is one final thing to do before we go to meet your new team." Hawk said as he walked out of the armory.
Ten minutes later, Anbu headquarters training grounds;
Hawk and Naruto entered the training ground to see three Anbu operatives training together.
There was nothing new on Naruto except the signature spiral Anbu tattoo on his left shoulder.
Naruto could already feel two familiar chakra signatures, one was Kakashi's, which was to be expected, but the other one he hadn't felt in almost a year. The last chakra signature felt foreign but slightly familiar at the same time, which confused Naruto a bit.
"Team Ro, gather around" Hawk called
The three Anbu operatives appeared in front of Hawk in a burst of speed.
"Hawk-taichou." Team Ro greeted their commander, to which Hawk nodded
"This is a new Anbu recruit, codename Dragon. From now on, he is a part of your team." Hawk said, making the team look at Naruto with a measuring gaze.
Hawk then turned to Naruto before saying, "This is Team Ro. From now on, you are a part of this team. Your Team leader, Inu. The team vice captain, Tenzo. And the team's Anbu trainee, Neko." Introducing the team.
Naruto looked at the team in front of him. He already knew Kakashi. The other two operatives wore a Cat mask, but with two different painting styles.
"What is an Anbu trainee?" Naruto asked, looking at Cat's familiar purple hair
"It's an operative who had just been scouted from the academy due to their skill. They are to be trained under Anbu's supervision until they are qualified to be a full-fledged Anbu operative." Hawk explained to Naruto, making him nod in understanding.
Hawk then turned towards Team Ro and said, "Ryuu was recommended to the Anbu by Hokage-sama personally. So be assured that he is a very skilled Shinobi."
Hearing this, The Team's look towards Naruto changed a bit as they seemed to relax.
"I will be leaving now," Hawk said
"Thank you for your time, Hawk-taichou," Naruto said with a slight bow, to which Hawk nodded before disappearing in a body flicker.
"Welcome to the team, Ryuu," Tenzo said
"Thank you, Tenzo," Dragon replied.
(A/N: From now on, I will be referring to them in their code names when on Anbu duties or missions.)
"Let's have a training session and a spar. Let's see what your skill sets are." Inu said
"Yes, Inu-Buntaicho," Ryuu said as he and the others entered the training grounds. (Buntaicho means team leader.)
To Naruto, this marks a new chapter of his life. To the better or worse, but he is going to make the best out of it.
To be continued.
Guys and Gals, show me those powerstones.
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I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
(A/N: Time skip ahead. Be ready for some action.)
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'200 power stones if you want an additional chapter with next week's release.'
I would appreciate feedback, comments, and power stones from you guys. I would like to read all of your comments. I would like to know if I am doing well and if you enjoy what I write.
Thank you all for your support.
1900 words
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