Namikaze Naruto- The Unpredictable Shinobi

Chapter 48: Life as an ANBU...

"Now, time to decide your fate." Akira was reminded of a certain Hyuuga. (Any guesses?) "Your captains have given me a scrutinous report. And I must say that this is an intriguing batch." Panther said as he started pacing around. Ooh! Mind games! But the Commander noticed that no one wavered. The captains had trained them well. The hostile aura dropped and he boomed.

"All of you are officially ANBU! Your departments and teams will be informed shortly by your captains. Paint your masks!" They dispersed at the command.

Team Leopard looked at their approaching captain. "Listen carefully, because I'm not repeating twice. I am very proud of you guys." "How about you repeat thrice?" Arata snickered, only to be tugged sharply in the stomach by Daisuke's elbow. The captain took of his mask. "I am Watanabe Kazuhiko, Leopard. Second in command to Tanaka Kioshi, Panther; who was second in command to Uzumaki Kushina, Fox. I would love to say more on the previous commanders, but I don't care. I am 38 years old. This team shall continue and I shall be your captain. Deal with it!" He snapped at Arata who faked a groan. 

"We shall shift between assassination, tracking and spying. What animals shall you choose?" He finished lazily. "Lion" Arata said with pride. "Eagle" Daisuke said. "Cheetah" Akira said, surprising Kurama. 'Kit, why not fox like your mother, why not me?' He wiped a fake tear. 'If I ever come to ANBU as Naruto, then my mask will only make it obvious for who I am. Moreover my blonde hair will only add to a cheetah's body, minus the spots. Don't cry Kurama. I shall give you many cuddles.' She cooed. Kurama huffed in denial, his blush would've been visible if his fur was of a different colour.

"Wait!" Daisuke's outburst even surprised himself. His cheeks were tinted pink in embarrassment. It only deepened as he spoke. "I... would like... to change." He mumbled. "Spit it out soldier!" Kazuhiko ordered. "I would like to change my mask to 'Jaguar' sir!" He rushed. Silence ensued for a while among the four before Arata broke it, "Why?" Daisuke mumbled something incoherent. Arata got irritated and punched him in the gut. "If you won't say it clearly to us, I shall tell the commander what you did to his desk the other day!" He threatened. "Well... Captain is Leopard, Arata is Lion, Akira is Cheetah. With me as Jaguar, we can be... Team WildCats?" His voice lowered gradually.

Even Kazuhiko was surprised at that. Arata pulled Daisuke in a hug. "Dai! That is too cliché! I never expected this from you of all people." "Shut up! Not another word!" Daisuke hissed at his teammate whom he considered a best friend in the deepest part of his heart, but never admitted it aloud.

The captain took the masks that have been painted accordingly. He performed a jutsu on them and they morphed from plain shaped to the shape of the respective animals. 'Cool!' was the thought in the minds of the three newly-made ANBU. Kazuhiko looked amused. "I shall teach you that later." He said simply. "Now go celebrate." He shooed them but Akira caught him. "Oh no, you don't Taichou. The four of us are celebrating- Team WildCats!" "She is right." Surprisingly, it was Daisuke who said that and Arata grinned at them.

Kazuhiko sighed and hid a smile as he put on his mask. "Alright team, put on your masks and let's go." Needless to say, they had a good time getting to know Watanabe Kazuhiko. He was a classmate of Minato, Kushina, Fugaku, Mikoto, and almost all the clan heads. He had been closer to Kushina than Minato, but got along well with him as well. Kushina had been in his team before she became commander.

Akira, no, Naruto was filled with nostalgia as she heard more about her parents.

Kazuhiko had weird quirks. He liked to be childish occasionally, but being an ANBU reduced his chances. After becoming the Second in Command, he had no time to be immature. Arata innocently put his two cents, "You can be as much of a child with us, Taichou. Especially with the kid over here." He pointed to Akira, the youngest of the group, who swatted his hand in mock annoyance. "Now we know why he is so sadistic." Daisuke grumbled, only to be whacked in the head. They all laughed and had fun before dispersing for the day.