Naruto 1. Angels exist

It was almost surreal, the gentle sound of water filling a tub and the muffled sound of people celebrating outside contrasting each other. Standing in the room clad in a perfectly white kimono, the first time she ever wore one… and soon to be the last.

Months of attempting to adapt, to persevere and to live… she was tired of it. No matter how hard she tried, she just could not deal with it anymore. The only things that helped her keep a balance on her life were her friends and savior.

Sadly, all of her friends were out of the village on extended missions and her savior had been utterly swamped recently between village duty and handling paperwork concerning the festival. The last two weeks had been akin to a hell and she was just too tired to keep going.

Gently turning off the tap water, she moved to get into the tub. Clutching the tool to her chest, the girl of 14 calmed her breathing as she prepared to finish what she had decided to start that night.

Lifting a leg slowly… she almost had one leg in before she heard the slam of a door and the sound of someone moving around in her apartment. She had purposely left her door unlocked of course, she wanted someone to come in and find her tomorrow. Tomorrow… but not tonight.

"Shit…" the girl cursed to herself while rolling her eyes and carefully moved towards where she heard the sounds. She had well trained ears and caught the sounds moving to her bedroom. It was likely a drunk of some kind hoping to have a good night, not that the rest of his night would be anything enjoyable now.

Moving slowly and surely, she rotated the sharp instrument into and underhand position. Oddly, the intruder had closed the door to her room. Steeling her nerves and focusing her thoughts, the girl used a shunshin to appear inside the room next to her bed.

Originally she was going to stab somewhere that wasn't a mortal wound, perhaps drag HIM to the tub and torture him a bit. It was a sick addiction, she knew it. But being able to release her frustrations on interrogation victims was one of her ways of coping after all… everyone was different.

What she saw huddled on her bed however, stopped her short of doing anything else. A kid, who couldn't be more than 6 years old, was shivering on the bed. Covers pulled up and around him. She could clearly spot bruise marks on the kids face… and were those scars?

A mess of blond moved to look towards the figure that had just appeared in the room. A figure clad in a beautiful white kimono suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She had purple hair that fell down slightly past her shoulders and almost looked like flowing silk framing her face. Lastly were her chocolate brown eyes that stared down at the boy…

Innocent blue eyes the color of the sky locked with hers for mere seconds before the boy spoke. The words would shake her life forever… "Wow… are you an angel?"

**A/N**

**A bit of a teaser for the first experiment chapter, short and easy. I plan for the next one to be at least 3,000 words, 6 times the length of this 500 one.**


	2. Questions and answers

Anko froze at the words from this simple boy. 'An angel…?' she thought dumbly to herself. While she knew men lusted for her body she had never once heard that kind of compliment. Two sky blue eyes looked straight up at her face in amazement.

Collecting herself, Anko locked eyes with the boy. Careful not to use her interrogation voice she questioned the boy. "Why do you assume I am an angel, boy?"

The impressionable youth wasted no time in relaying his answer. "Because… you're beautiful… and you don't have any hate in your eyes. So you can't be from the village!" A goofy grin graced the boys face. The strange scars on his cheeks puffing out a bit.

Anko shouldn't have been stunned by the word. She was called many things in her lifetime after all. Somehow the word from this boy was stronger than any other… almost strong enough for her to miss what he said after.

Kneeling down next to the bed to lock eyes with the child she asked a new question. "What do you mean I can't be from the village? Does everyone who lives here have hate in their eyes?" She had never once considered herself a mother figure, hell she never even considered kids with what was happening in her life but… she had to know.

The boys eyes, which just moments ago were shining with amazement, glazed over as he looked away from the piercing chocolate eyes looking at him. "Almost everyone hates me here, I can tell. I don't even know why! No one will tell me, not even the old man." While he was talking, the boy began to sniffle a little.

Anko had to calm herself down. This child, who she had never seen before, had walked into her home and was hiding on her bed. Even worse, the kid for whatever reason was disliked by the village. It struck a heart string for her, she had something in common with the kid. She however, at least knew why the village hated her.

In a soothing voice she didn't even know she had, Anko attempted to sooth the child. "Where are your parents? Is this _old man_ your father? Do you want me to take you back home?" She kept her hands to herself, unsure of how to comfort the child.

Dragging his arm across his face to wipe his nose, the boy slowly shook his head. He was holding back his tears, he never wanted to cry in front of others. "I'm an orphan… but the old man takes care of me sometimes. He lives in that biiiiiig building with very important people in it… and I can't go back to my home tonight." The boys shoulders sagged as he tried to sink deeper into the covers around him.

Anko had a really bad feeling suddenly, she blinked and saw herself sitting on the bed, huddled up in the covers and crying for her parents. It was her a few years ago, just after hearing that her parents both died. She told herself back then that she would also be a ninja, she would protect the village just like her parents did.

Her thoughts mulled over the boys response. The big building… had to be the hokage's tower. The only old man she knew there was… Shaking her head, Anko knew tomorrow would be an interesting day but something else the boy said struck her as well. "Why can't you go home tonight?" It was a quiet question, almost afraid of the answer.

The boy turned his head to the side, looking out her window at the lights of the festival. People were milling about and celebrating. She almost couldn't hear his response. "They are waiting for me there… I don't wanna be hurt anymore…"

Under her sleeves, Anko's hands clenched and fisted. The boy was afraid to go home because people were there to hurt him? Barely controlling the anger in her voice she pushed for more answers. "Who is waiting for you? Are they the ones that hit you?" She was referring to the bruises that were on his cheeks.

_Were_. Looking again his face only had those weird scars on his face. Placed like that they could almost be something like… whiskers. This boy has so many oddities and questions surrounding him. Tomorrow she would see the hokage, tomorrow she would get her answers.

Slowly shaking his head, the boy answered her question slowly. "People came to hurt me, broke my door down and… hit me. I ran away, I ran as fast as I could. I wanted to hide and I saw your door open. So I… I'm sorry for coming angel-san." The little boy seemed like he was going to stand, maybe to leave.

Reacting quickly, Anko put her arms on the boys shoulders. "You can stay here tonight. The mean people won't come in here to hurt you. I promise I will protect you, but I am no angel…" She couldn't believe what she had just said to the boy. She was going to end her life tonight and instead she's now babysitting… fate must be laughing at her.

Blinking his eyes at her, the boy looked around the room he was in for the first time. Clothes littered her floor, weapons lay strewn about the room and sitting on her nightstand was a leaf Hitae-ite. His eyes widened before snapping his head to look at Anko. Those sky blue eyes were glistening in the soft glow of the night again. "You… you're a ninja angel!"

Anko couldn't believe the kid. She was a jumble of feelings right now: she wanted to laugh, cry, face fault and hurt people. Somewhere down deep she acknowledged one thing: she no longer wanted to die… tonight at least. "What's your name kid?" She should at least learn that before letting him stay.

Finally, a smile crossed the kids face. Standing up and shedding the covers hiding him the kid stood proudly before announcing to her. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to be the best ninja in Konoha!" The kid was wearing… what had to be some form of tossed out clothing. Torn in places and sewn back together in others. Worst of all, it was an abhorrent shade of bright orange. Some ninja outfit…

She didn't wait for the kid to wake up. She left a simple note for Naruto. It read: _Naruto, I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you woke up. I have things to take care of. There is a key with this letter. Use it to lock the door behind you when you leave. If you ever feel unsafe you are welcome back. –Angel_.

Anko herself was making her way to the hokage tower. Walking at a brusque pace she ignored the attendants and ninja in the tower she walked past. In front of her stood two ANBU guards on either side of the hokage's door. She smirked inwardly, seemed it was a deer and an owl ANBU today. Moving to the door without even looking at them Anko made to open the doors.

Slipping in front of the door to block her the two ANBU looked straight at Anko through their masks. "I'm sorry ma'am, you must wait for an appointment like everyone else." The three of them stood there unmoving.

Cracking her knuckles, Anko stared the two ninja down. She was so angry this morning, she didn't bother to do anything. She still had her hair down, she was still wearing her white kimono. It was very likely they didn't recognize her in what is almost a polar opposite to her normal attire. They were so close to each other, staring each other in the face, neither of them noticed the pair of snakes moving from underneath her kimono and under the ANBU's cloaks.

It was already too late for them. The snakes venom was a simple paralytic nerve poison that would render them immobile for a few hours. "Sorry kids, important business and all." She gentle moved the ninja to a sitting position next to the door before steadying herself before the double doors and taking a breath. Lifting up a leg she roughly kicked the double doors open. She needed a good entrance after all.

_Seconds before impact.—_

Sarutobi massaged his temple in frustration. With all the paperwork piling up, taking care of festival allowances among the clans and still reeling from the shock of Orochimaru's betrayal he was not in a good mood. Even worse, it seemed the ANBU that was assigned to watch Naruto last night was not one he could trust anymore. Naruto was missing and his apartment was ransacked.

Standing in front of Sarutobi was the ANBU in question. Wearing a non-descript white mask he stood in silence. "I do apologize hokage-sama, the villagers started a fire nearby and I went to disperse them while putting it out. While I was away it seems some rowdy villagers assaulted Naruto's home.

Before Sarutobi could ask a different question, his doors roughly slammed open. A woman stood before them, fuming in anger and locking eyes with him before calmly setting herself in a relaxed stance with a smile and looked straight into him. "Good morning hokage-_sama_, we have to talk. Now." The stance was friendly but her tone was nothing short of malicious.

She said it with a smile on her face, but Sarutobi knew this person all too well. As well as how bad it was when she smiled at you while threatening you. The day just kept getting better. "You are dismissed, for now. We will continue this later." He said while motioning to the ANBU who couldn't believe the spectacle he just saw. With a stiff bow and a hand sign the ANBU disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Leaning back in his chair and taking a pull of smoke from his pipe Sarutobi closed his eyes. "That's an interesting outfit… Anko-san." He watched her stalk over to the front of his desk before sitting down before him. He could tell from her eyes that he wasn't going to like this conversation. It didn't help that for some reason, it would have to do with Naruto.

Her brown eyes thinned as she stared down the old man in front of her. "You wouldn't believe what happened to me last night… Old Man." Anko watched Sarutobi stiffed in his seat. She knew that he understood the message. No one would openly disrespect the hokage. No one except for Naruto.

"Anko… please close the doors." '_Why did it have to be like this?_' he dimly thought to himself. While she got up to close the doors, Sarutobi calmly put his pipe down. Collecting his thoughts and focusing himself, he placed a field of chakra around the room to block any and all sound from escaping. "Please Anko, tell me what happened."

She collected herself in the chair before looking up at the aged man in front of her. She recounted everything that had happened last night about Naruto _breaking_ into her home and hiding there. She left out some minor details such as suicide and leaving her door open for someone to find her.

After hearing all the details, Sarutobi deflated. To Anko, the man seemed to gain such an aged look that it almost hurt to look at him. This man was one of the few people she could call a friend in the world. "Somehow…" he began "I feared and knew this would happen. I just wish I could do more for him." His eyes seemed to glaze over, as if he was recalling a time long past…

Anko quickly pulled him from his reverie by slamming her hands down on the table. "Cut to the chase hokage-sama. Why is he being attacked? Who were his parents?" There was an anger there, seething from seeing an orphan being treated like this… like her.

Threading his fingers together and resting his chin upon them, the old man looked straight into Anko's eyes. "This is a serious matter Anko, the details of which are an S-class secret. Only those of Jounin rank or above can learn of this matter. As of now you are still a chuunin and not privy to the details." In his small break, he could see the rage behind those chocolate eyes.

"However" he started "I can share some information with you but you cannot spread this information to anyone. Not even Naruto himself." The grim look that he sent Anko spelled out his message very clearly. This information could get a person killed.

Closing her eyes and calming herself, she nodded her head in agreement. "Please hokage-sama. He reminds me of myself and if you had seem him there…. Crying because he is convinced… and I'm convinced, that the villagers hate him. You would want to know as well."

Sarutobi knew this was possibly a huge mistake. Not just telling her the secret, not just what he planned to do but also what this could mean for Naruto's future. This was his first year outside the orphanage. He never could have guessed that things would fail so badly…

"Uzumaki Naruto's parents died during the Kyuubi invasion." He started slowly, he needed to build a base for her to understand. "What people don't know Anko, is that the Kyuubi, a being of pure chakra, is nigh immortal. The fourth could not _kill _it… so he did the next best thing. He _sealed_ it."

Picking his pipe back up, Sarutobi took a long pull from it before continuing. "Such a creature can only be contained in a newborn child, where it's chakra pathways are still not formed yet and it could adjust to the presence. Naruto is that child. He is the jailor and the Kyuubi no Kitsune is the prisoner inside him."

Anko's expression did not falter from the angered stoic face she held before Sautobi began his story. It did not falter in the middle or the end either. She simply stared him straight in the eyes and asked a simple question. "So what? He keeps the Kyuubi sealed and people hate him for it?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, often called "The Professor" on the battlefield for his knowledge and tactics was caught by surprise at her bland retort. Of course, she was already an orphan when the Kyuubi attacked. There was no hate or loss to taint her view. "You should be able to understand the village's… shortsightedness. They experienced pain and loss from the Kyuubi attack, it simply vanished one night 'defeated.' People were still angered by the loss and they wrongly funneled that anger onto poor Naruto."

Anko glared down at Sarutobi. She knew full well what ignorant people lived in the village. Not a day went by that she wasn't reminded of her own personal situation. She was a ninja however, and could kick the ass of anyone who went too far. "I can… almost understand but… he's a fucking kid. What is he? Five years old? How is he supposed to deal with people assaulting him for that kind of bullshit reason."

Face softening into a smirk, Sarutobi could always tell when Anko was _really_ pissed. She would curse like a sailor. "I've done a lot for the kid Anko. I was the one who argued against the council who wished him killed the night he was born. I was the one who had to watch him grow up neglected in the orphanage. I was the one who pulled him out, gave him and apartment and money. I am still the one who visits him weekly to check up on him."

Taking a short breath, Sarutobi turned his chair around to look out at the village. "I've hired ANBU to watch him constantly. However, the council is watching me. I cannot go too far lest they call it favoritism. They would start to question my goals Anko. Danzo wants the child for his blasted ROOT division and the merchants call for beheading the child. The only saving grace on the council is the ninja clan heads that thankfully remain mostly neutral on the situation."

If you had told Mitarashi Anko yesterday that she would have to wrap her head around something as large as a power struggle in the council to deal with a mere boy, she would have swiftly laughed at you and kicked you somewhere that hurt. Today, she could only avert her gaze from the back of the hokage's head. Her gaze rolled across the wall, the same wall that had pictures of the previous hokage's. Shodaime, Nidaime, Sandaime and Yondaime. Her gaze lingered on the fourth before she voiced a question. "What would the Yondaime have wanted for the child?"

Turning back around to face the girl, a soft smile crept on the aged mans face. "Ah, if only everyone else could simply ask. He wanted the child to be seen as a hero. He would be the one who helped capture and seal the dreaded Kyuubi no Kitsune. Instead he is viewed as the demon incarnate by the older generation who tell their children to fear the child."

"This isn't right hokage-sama. He doesn't deserve being treated like this and you know it." She trusted him, after all he trusted her without a doubt. No matter what anyone else said, he was a pillar of support. He would know what to do.

Sarutobi locked eyes with Anko and phrased himself _very_ carefully. He had an idea now but he was just unsure of the result. "There is nothing more that _I_ can do in this situation Anko. _I_ can not place my hand in this farther than _I_ already have. Naruto will need _someone_ to be there for him. That is something _I_ can not do. Do you understand?"

One blink, two blinks, three blinks. Anko was a seasoned ninja with honestly more experience on subjects than she should. Looking underneath the underneath was a staple quote. This was like looking at a billboard. The message was _painfully_ clear as to what he was saying. Standing, Anko gave a polite bow. "Thank you for your time, hokage-sama."

Sarutobi watched her calmly leave his office, wincing when he saw the legs of his guards splayed out on the floor with Anko retreating in the distance. '_I just hope that this decision does not come back to haunt me'_

**A/N**

**Well, I HAD wanted to finish this out before leaving for work but I ran out of time. Things are slowly shaping now and setting the situation. At least I know some people liked my teaser page.**


	3. Sordid past and uncertain future

**A/N This one took me a bit longer to churn out. After last chapter I decided to sit down and make a plan of exactly how I wanted things to turn out. While my idea isn't 100% done it is enough to let me build the past that will make up the history of the different Naruto characters; the most important of course being Anko's sordid past. As a note, if you enjoy reading fights you are quite a ways away, seeing as Naruto is still five and this fic won't have him being an omnibus of power and skill.**

Frustration. That was the word of the day. Anko was aimlessly walking through Konoha milling over the information she just learned that morning. All of this seemed a little much to her. Of all the things raging through her mind like a rapid river, one stood clear above the others. _'He shouldn't be left alone'_

Between a council wanting his head, wanting him as a tool, the village treating him like _trash_ and having to live on his own the picture it painted was just… so fucking close to being a mirror of her own childhood. Unconsciously, Anko started mumbling curses about the various things on her mind; she was starting to get pissed off again.

She had to clear her mind, do something to let her think things over. She just happened to walk past just what she needed, her favorite dango stand. Normally, when she sat down the owner would blitz over to his number 1 customer in a flash. She was almost going to start yelling at him when she remembered. '_I don't look anything like I usually do._' The light chuckle she let out finally brought a server over who took her order.

Sitting in an uncomfortable silence, Anko slowly sorted through the mornings events. The biggest thing to deal with was that the hokage himself was apparently asking _her_ to help watch out for the kid. How would she do that? How _could_ she do that? A dulled thump sounded out in the little restaurant as Anko crudely slammed her head against the table. She wasn't one for thinking like this. Anko needed help. She barely noticed someone sitting down next to her.

_A minute ago…_

Yuuhi Kurenai had just returned from a recent extended B rank mission to the border. Of all the things Kurenai wanted to do, she wanted to go see her best friend Anko. That's why it surprised her when she wasn't home. She _always_ slept in till later. Anko could handle herself; she knew that all too well. But she still worried for her friend. If she wasn't at home that only left two possible places for her to be: A bar or a dango stand. She went with the latter, Anko _usually_ didn't drink this early and if she was then the situation was dire.

She almost missed it really. It was just a flash of purple hidden atop a mass of pure white. _'Is she trying to hide herself?'_ Anko was anything but subtle unless she was on a mission. Steeling herself, Kurenai would go talk to who she thought was her friend. She barely contained a snicker when she watched the person slam their head on the table in frustration. _'If it is Anko, she's probably trying to think something out…'_ Slowly, she took a seat next to the now disheveled woman at the table.

Sensing a foreign presence, Anko reached for one of her trusted kunai… or would have if she wasn't wearing this silly disguise. Carefully turning her head towards the disturbance her scowl quickly turned into a smile and barely contained joy… except not contained. Sitting next to her was a girl with hair black as night, a peculiar wrapped style of clothing and her most piercing attribute: Crimson red eyes. Normally, most people shy away from her presence… Anko is not most people. She pounced onto the red eyed beauty next to her while exclaiming "NAI-CHAN! I missed you! It was so lonely here with everyone out on a mission!"

_'Causing a scene in public, just like normal'_ Kurenai let out a low sigh. "And here I was worried something was really wrong Anko. Up early, dressed… differently and you actually let your hair down for once." She said while looping an arm around to hug her friend. "Care to fill me in my little Anko? Don't tell me you are going to try for a Shinto priestess or maybe…?" She was cut short when Anko stiffened in her arms.

_'Of course!'_ Anko mentally chided herself. Who else could she turn to for advice than her almost sister? "C'mon" She said while standing up and flashing one of her nicer smiles "Let's go to your place so we can talk in private." "Why my place?" Kurenai grumbled back. "Becau~se… he might still be there…" she replied in a low voice. She might be a jumble of thoughts, confused and worried about how to approach the situation but she could always mix in some innuendo to mess with Nai-chan. Theirs was an… awkward relationship to say the least. While they silently walked to Kurenai's apartment (barring a sigh at the innuendo from the Yuuhi), Anko thought back, back to before everything for her went wrong…

The two had bonded back during their academy years, back when things were so much simpler as a kid. Anko and Kurenai were both a sort of outcast. One from her hereditary crimson red eyes and the other was a war orphan who had trouble connecting with people. They both had their problems but those strenuous times bound them tightly together. Others in their class never really socialized with the pair. They were known back in their day as '_the twins'_ regardless of the fact that they weren't related or looked anything like the other.

That isn't to say that their class wasn't an interesting one. Uchiha Obito and Kiin were like polar opposites from the renowned Uchiha family. While Kiin was like any other 'stuck up' Uchiha, Obito was rather carefree and almost a habitual prankster. If it wasn't for the fact that he was a pervert and a ladies man he might have fit into their little group. Hatatake Kakashi was one of the more stoic members of the class; he was always living in his fathers shadow and strove to excel. Always focused on studies and training the boy had almost no social life. He did profit from the training however, as he was called the years genius and slated to be the graduating rookie of the year.

Aburame Shiho was a dead ringer for most people of his clan. Quiet, logical and straight to the point meant most people avoided him besides his clans' oddity; consequently, he was the only other real friend the pair in the class had. After all, most people did tend to shy away from the Aburame clan so he fit right into their little outcast group. The only other class member from a class was the boisterous Inuzuka Hana. She, like almost all other Inuzuka's were, stayed loud and always tried to stay ahead of the class and lead a 'pack' of friends.

There weren't many other clan hopeful ninjas in the class that particular year. Mostly family's that had yet to reach a size to warrant clan status or a slew of civilians attempting to become a ninja. The civilians who joined that class did so for a myriad of reasons. Strength to have, money to use, a goal to protect, a reason to leave home… the list was endless with the war running its course. Still, that did not mean those in the class didn't have a chance, it just meant they didn't have as good a chance at living as a ninja family helping raise their child.

Anko was special in that area. She came from a long line of ninja's but her family was always small. Added to the fact was that her parents had died when she just five she couldn't benefit from early training. Everything she knew of then was all self taught. Between solo sparring for taijutsu practice and pouring over her books… a little, she had managed to mostly keep up with half the class. Times were good, laughs were had… and then they had to graduate. Anko had wished and prayed to whatever god that might listen to her, that she could be placed on a team with her two sole friends in the class. However, war was on the horizon and it was announced that the graduation age was being reduced in order to fill out the field. Sadly for her, it seemed he wasn't paying attention when she did.

Teams were called and Anko cursed her foul luck in life. Both Kurenai and Shiji were placed onto different teams. She was saddled with two people she had no real interaction with before. He teacher at the time, Morino Ibiki, assured her that it was for the best. Ninja often had to work in teams and if she couldn't adjust and bond with her new team members, it would damper her overall abilities and flexibility as a ninja. There was a silver lining to the cloud however; she found out that her teacher was going to be one of the legendary sannin!

Orochimaru, student to the current Sandaime, was taking on a genin team this year and she wound up on it. It was… an honor to be able to train under such a name. After all, who wouldn't want the chance to learn from one of the strongest ninja's to ever live in Konoha? Namikaze Minato, one of the Sannin Jiraya students, was also taking a genin team as well it seemed. Obito and Kakashi, as the class first and last, were placed in his care. They ended up with a girl that Anko had never really noticed in the class before. She had graduated on a special note as she was training to be a medic-nin. Apparently the Sandaime was testing a theory by Senju Tsunade, also a Sannin, who wanted to train and place a medic on every team to extend capability.

If she only knew back then what she knew now, she would have stabbed the rotten snake bastard in the back the first chance she got. Oh at first he was all that a teacher should have been. Polite, patient and knowledgeable of numerous jutsu the man was a genius. Under his tutelage, Anko and her team mates grew both as ninja and as a team. As time went on, Anko grew to even see Orochimaru as a father figure. He was there for when she needed an adult to consult or for any question she had. Not since her parents died had she felt what she could call 'love' for another person. Even as close as Kurenai was to her, Orochimaru was closer. Sadly, no one paid attention to the crumbling case that was the snake sannin.

During the course of the war, Orochimaru had somehow become afraid of death. Any time that his team was not training or doing missions, he would disappear for private research. He was slowly becoming separated from all of Konoha as a whole… people… humans were separate from him. No one knew of his research or what he was after. It wasn't until Konoha had started experiencing a streak of missing person cases. It was almost like a serial killer that took the bodies with no sign… or possibly a person taking slaves. If only it was that simple… It was a little later that Orochimaru's heinous 'labs' were discovered and the transgressions against humanity that he was practicing. Before word could be sent to them, Orochimaru fled the city of Konohagakure… with his three promising genin.

Clueless, the 3 impressionable youths followed him to a beachhead near to the land of water. It was there that his darkest secret was performed. It was there that Orochimaru tested his 'Seal of Heaven' on Anko, her two team mates and 7 other ninja he had collected. The rest of the story is distorted from there, the only knowledge that Anko was left with when waking up was Orochimaru leaving her there and callously calling her trash before leaving her for Konoha ANBU to retrieve her.

Shortly after her return, the common belief was that Orochimaru had fully informed his students of the plans and deceits. In the mess, the parents of Anko's two teammates who felt they couldn't handle the shame of being tied to such a treasonous person, committed suicide. Anko, who was treated as a prisoner of war, was subjugated to days of interrogation from the Torture and Interrogation branch of ANBU. They wanted… no NEEDED the secrets of what Orochimaru had really been doing. It was a very hard time for Anko, subjugated to interrogation by not only the faceless ANBU but also her very own school teacher, Ibiki. The only shred of humanity that kept Anko together during that time were visits from the Hokage himself as well as sporadic visits from Kurenai. Under the duress of the times, Anko developed a mask, almost a second personality, which she wore in front of anyone she did not trust. Sadly, her list of 'trusted' people was only two names long.

The mutilated corpses that littered the obscene laboratory could only paint a gruesome picture of the aftermath. Experiments on adults was not all that Orochimaru did it seemed. There was an incubator section that housed the corpses and 59 infants and one sole single survivor of his wretched studies. Hiruzen Sarutobi personally took the infant in to raise in a family environment, much to some of the councils complaints. Thankfully, the only information that reached the civilians ears was that of Orochimaru's departure and the three students he took with him.

Anko was treated as if she was one of the people to kidnap those lost to the sick experiments. As if SHE was the one who split people open and warped their very humanity. A wide array of insults always dripped from the mouths of people who had lost someone or people who simply wanted an outlet of rage, with Anko being their target. Her hardened demeanor developed into a scary persona of near insanity. She would lash out with curses, scare citizens with weapons and started doing solo missions as only a chuunin. Not one ninja on the council trusted Anko; she wished that the village of Konohagakure could once again be a 'home' to her. It never did feel the same since the incident.

After a time, Anko asked if she could setup application to join the ANBU. While this was immediately shot down by the council, the Hokage allowed her to 'assist' in certain fields. She had shown an interest with the interrogation wing, with her experience under Ibiki. She seemed to take pleasure in watching others suffer under her careful ministrations. Where Ibiki preferred to break the mind of his targets for information, Anko would break the body until they gave what she needed. She took an almost sickening enjoyment from the torture. She would never tell anyone but this is how she would cope with the villagers. While on the outside she had a plan for the information and knew her purpose, inside she would imagine the myriad of faces that made up the people that had wronged her in either word or action in the past. Safe to say, half the time she saw the pallid face of Orochimaru as she did her 'work' and savored the pained screams and hoarse cries for mercy.

She continued to 'live' her life out like this for the better part of two and a half years. Taking any and all missions the Hokage would give her often let her release stress on her targets. Though she absolutely hated the man, Orochimaru had taught her extremely well; zero failed missions in her record. Wherever she went now inside the village of Konohagakure the people knew better than to openly insult her. She knew they still did behind her back but she at least had most of them fearing her wrath now. Her reputation of a 'psychotic bitch' was well known through the ninja ranks as well and provided her a certain amount of relief from any who might want to deal out their own justice against her. The only sore point about the predicament was that Anko depended on the presence of Kurenai and the Hokage. Two friends versus an entire city of people was hard on a persons psyche…

The crisp morning air bit at Anko's face as she continued to plan exactly how she would talk to Kurenai. As the pair slowly walked to her apartment in resolute silence, the shadows at their feet mimicked Anko's sordid mind. Stretched and distorted, her mind boggled at how to explain the situation without giving away too much. The kid's past was an S rank secret, under threat of death, if she were to openly give the information away. She trusted Kurenai, trusted her with her own life, but if some ANBU just 'happened' to hear Anko give away the secret she would end up… not far from where she wanted just last night.

A low click followed by the grind of wood on wood roused Anko to her wits. They were now at Kurenai's abode, the time for thinking was over and now she had to carefully word her plea for help. Both of them moved silently into the flat, Kurenai towards the kitchen to make some tea and Anko to the under-furnished living room. Having been here many times, Anko knew her way around the house with absolute ease. Giving to their long standing relationship, she also knew where the red eyed figure was going. Leaning back into the cushions, the snake mistress relaxed herself and her face into an eased grace. This was something she enjoyed doing though she would never admit it. Being able to drop her guarded glare and form was something she could only let herself do in front of either the Hokage or her 'Nai-chan.'

Seconds stretched into minutes inside Anko's mind as she finalized how she would reveal the information to plead for help. Kids weren't her forte, unless you counted making them piss their pants. She could only pray this little talk could help. The soft patter of feet roused her attention to the direction of the kitchen. Kurenai was returning with her favorite green leaf tea, a soft smile etched on her face from both the aroma and seeing her troubled friend relaxed. Sitting down next to her, Kurenai took a long drawn out taste of the herbal beverage before looking over to the chocolate eyed girl sitting next to her.

"Now then, innuendo aside Anko. Please, explain what the problem is about. You know I'm here for you if you need it." The girl lowered her gaze to match Anko's. Most people never knew how soft the piercing red gaze could really be when she wanted it to be. She watched her friend fidget for a bit, obviously still piecing her thoughts together until she finally sighed and placed her drink on the table.

Anko might seem to be an insane, bloodthirsty psychopath but she abhorred lying to the girl a scant foot from her position. _'I have no choice, I have to mince words to keep her safe'_ she mentally chided herself. Taking a deep breath, Anko began. "I was assigned a special mission from the hokage to temporarily watch over a kid. He is an orphan who is currently living on his own but he aspires to become a ninja for the village. The kid has no real friends or family to look to and the hokage asked that I somehow help him… I dunno, grow up." Letting a wistful sigh out, Anko turned her head to look out at the morning still peeking through the window. She saw a bird there, taking care of chicks in a nest. It was almost like a life like moniker to what she was going to do. Kurenai shook her from the short reverie however. "Why you?" she asked simply before nurturing another sip from her tea.

"The kid is a bit of a prankster, last night he took it too far and several drunks assaulted him. Scared for his life, the kid broke into my flat and hid in the covers of my bed while I was taking a bath. Since I reported it, the hokage felt that I might have a connection of some sort to the kid…" The remark was a blanched understatement to be sure. Orphaned and ostracized by the village? They were almost in the same situation, Anko's difference being that she could kick the shit out of villagers. Naruto's difference was bearing a burden that no child should and he was still in the dark about it.

Kurenai's face contorted into a hazardous scowl. Without a doubt, she would have helped beat the ones responsible near to death. Though with her forte, the genjutsu mistress would happily warp their minds instead of their bodies. A slight twitch in her eye was the only other signal of the bitter thought. "I… see. You're not asking me how to deal with kids are you? I have no idea. We're both 14 after all, I know more about scaring the piss out of soldiers than dealing with children… though I guess it could be close." Finishing her tea, Kurenai finished her thought. "Why not just use a mask?" Rolling her eyes, Anko retorted quickly with "And how will covering my face help?"

A light chuckle escaped the red eyed beauties lips while she shook her head. "I mean, mask your personality. Like with how you deal with the asinine villagers. He's only five after all and from the way you describe it, he's just looking to be noticed."

Mocking a thinking pose, the Anko tumbled the idea in her head. _'I could do that I guess…'_ Snapping her fingers, she knew just how to approach the situation. "Ah, that's what I'll do. Thanks again for the help Nai-chan!" Anko blurted out while reaching over to give the other girl an affectionate hug. "Though, I may come asking for help again, kay?"

Sensing the end of their meeting, Kurenai decided to finish with a bit of a laugh. "As long as it's not how to hide a child's body, I'm fine with it Anko." A sly grin met Kurenai's bemused laughter. "Ah, I don't need any help to do that Nai-chan. I've been hiding those like a pro for years anyways~"

Sometime later, Anko was making her way to a little shop she would frequent before every mission. A stark white building with no windows stood before her. The only things that marked it as a shop was an open sign on the door and the stores name above it, 'Beneath the Mask'. Anytime she was assigned a mission, Anko would habitually come and purchase a new mask to hide her identity. Being that most of her assignments were low key assassinations or sabotage meant she worked in secrecy. Being in a bingo book was not on her list. Last thing she needs is to be recognized and for people to know her skills.

Strolling into the store with a purpose, Anko went straight to her target. Though mildly popular, the store usually never had more than one customer at a time. She was graced with the same countenance at the moment, the store was empty save her and the owner at the desk. Said owner wore a double mask of comedy and tragedy that hid his entire face and some of his chest. Clad in a simple white outfit clashed against his thinning black hair. Looking up upon sensing her presence, Anko could only imagine he cracked a smile under the mask. Neither knew the others name, it was better in this business after all. "Ah, a new mission crop up Purple?"

Cocking her sadistic smile, Anko sneered down at the man. "You got it Black. I need a special mask for this one though. I need something white and angelic." After placing her order to the short man, she rolled her eyes past the myriad of masks that adorned the walls. Everything from plain white to demons and even masks that were animals littered the shop. Though the animal masks he made were all flat, he couldn't afford the trouble if someone were to impersonate an ANBU.

Rummaging under the counter for a minute, Black returned with a small package in his aged hands. Placing down the item, he eyed the girl for a second before asking. "I can't help but ask Purple. Why the special order this time? Usually you just grab one at random."

"Ah, Black. You should know better than to ask a ninja her mission but… since we are 'old friends' I'll make an exception this time. It's going to be an escort mission and I kinda thought it would be fun to play a guardian angel." Opening the box and inspecting the mask he procured Anko let out a short whistle. Made of what had to be pure white ivory, the mask had serene features carved into it. A peaceful smile adorned the face and the eyes made it seem gentle… it was perfect. "How much?"

"On the house Purple. Being my best customer has it's perks." The man said while giving a slight bow. Grinning, Anko sleeved the mask in her kimono and turned to leave while waving to the shrouded figure. "Thanks as always Black. See ya when I see ya!"

After she left, the man leaned back in his chair. Though she was his best customer, Black was relieved to be free of his 'cursed' mask… Shaking his head as he remembered the whispered voice of it the man was a little sad for Purple. "All who own me shall meet death…"

**A/N#2 With a bit more of the premise in mind, I hope to get my thoughts typed out clearly a bit faster but I cannot really make any promises for speed of releases.**


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Naruto, Fantasy, Romance