Kusari no Naruto

Sixth Link

Naruto regulated his breathing carefully as he forced his body not to twitch even a single muscle. Right now, he was in the darkened corner of an unassuming ceiling, thankful that the meagre candlelight in the room cast long and heavy shadows to hide in. Two men sat at a table, quietly discussing various unimportant topics over a simplistic kotatsu. The young blonde, now entering into his teen years at the ripe age of thirteen, had been trailing one of the men for almost a week now and he had to say it was quite possible one of the most boring assignments he had ever received.

Normally, considering his short fuse, it would have been a miracle he hadn't already attacked the man and decided to get the information that way, but it was undeniable Naruto had matured in his time spent in ANBU. Saru's idea, what had colloquially been called 'tomato therapy' due to Naruto's unwholesome reaction to people using the word around him, had been a tentative success. The blonde's emotional control had improved, and after a while, around five months, the flashbacks to Kushina's memories had stopped altogether. Naruto continued to wear the deactivated collar, as a reminder never to slip back into old habits.

His control wasn't the only thing to change though; he had grown up a great deal, reaching a height that could be called above average for his age group at one hundred and fifty-one centimetres. His training had given him a nice and developed muscle tone that showed clearly defined muscles without making him bulky like Kuma. His hair had also grown out, his spikes becoming longer and wavier; although over the years he was unsettled to find the occasional red hair in amongst his blonde locks. Any changes to his face though could rarely be seen, as the boy was seldom seen without his mask, save when it got damaged on missions… which was almost comically common.

All in all, one might say he had really grown into his role as an ANBU operative, and had garnered respect from a number of its members for the efficient way he handled missions. However, there was no changing the fact that he was on that squad and was bound to cause chaos wherever he went; it had simply become a part of life. Almost as much as seeing Kuma challenging other ANBU's summons to board games, Tako being thrown out of the women's hot springs or seeing Nezumi walk around the apartment complex almost completely naked.

He never said it was a normal life.

He stirred slightly as the two men exchanged farewells and quickly went their separate ways. Having no intention of losing his target, the blonde quickly made his own exit, using a chain from his back to lift up a ceiling panel and slip in. Normally his Chakra chains would have been terrible for stealthy missions like this due to their inherent glow. However over time Naruto had worked on it and managed to make them duller, becoming a pale grey colour; when he did this though they became woefully brittle and would likely break against bare skin. All the same, they sometimes came in handy and soon Naruto was out on the roof, sticking to the shadows the crescent moon cast.

He continued to stalk his target silently, an older man with a receding hairline in a rough and worn kimono that never seemed to stray much out of his routine of his home, his bar and his business meetings. Tonight seemed to be an exception, as he aprubtly ducked down an alley, quickly followed by his unseen tail. There was another man waiting for him by an unlit door and both were swiftly ushered in. Interest piqued, Naruto slipped in before the door could close, nothing but a vague breeze to the people inside.

"I'm still unsure of this location Aki; so close to Konoha? Why take the risk?" It was Naruto's target that spoke, in a low voice that matched well with his hefty weight.

"They will never suspect it Matsui; anyway Konoha only keeps a fledgling guard of the towns between them and Kawa," the new man explained as Naruto slipped into a more comfortable and secure position in the ceiling's corner. "Any greater presence and Suna might begin to take offence."