Black Ops: Anbu Naruto

As the Great Ninja War loomed ever closer, tensions between the great ninja villages grew increasingly volatile. 

The war between the Allied Shinobi Forces (Konoha, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure) and the Daimyo-led Alliance (centered around Amegakure and several minor villages) had already begun to escalate, with skirmishes slowly spreading. 

Days passed, yet Naruto found no peace in his days. 

It had been a week since he returned from the border with Kiba Inuzuka and Neji Hyuga, and more than two weeks since Sunagakure had been destroyed. 

During this time, he remained at home most of the day. 

Though serving as a liaison for Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage, during his stay in Konoha was not a demanding task—it even gave him extra time to spend with friends—Naruto felt anything but relaxed. Instead, anxiety gnawed at him constantly. 

Konoha had already dispatched shinobi to reinforce border defenses, setting up traps and fortifications to stop enemy infiltration. 

A separate unit had been sent to Sunagakure to help rebuild. 

As for Naruto, all he could do now was wait. 

Each morning, he dreaded the sound of a sudden knock at his door, dreading the news that war had broken out or that one of his comrades had fallen on the battlefield. 

Even though Danzo and Sasuke Uchiha were dead, he had yet to fully recover from the scars those events had left. 

He knew the shadow of war was already looming over him and his comrades, and all he could do was pray it wouldn't claim more lives. 

"Knock! Knock! Knock!" 

Suddenly, loud knocking interrupted his thoughts. 

Damn it, how did she always know when he woke up? He'd barely cracked his eyes open. 

"Naruto-sama, breakfast is ready." 

Immediately jumping out of bed, Naruto quickly threw on his clothes before rushing out into the kitchen. 

Breakfast was already set on the table, with Jiraiya and Tamako seated and enjoying their meal. 

"Good morning, Naruto-sama," Tamako greeted cheerfully before continuing her breakfast. 

"Morning, Tamako. Thanks for making breakfast," Naruto replied gratefully with a smile as he pulled up a chair and sat down. 

They ate in silence for a while before Naruto turned to Jiraiya and asked: 

"Master Jiraiya, you'll be returning to the battlefield soon, right?" Naruto knew how powerful Jiraiya was, but he vividly recalled the steep cost the older man had paid to master Sage Mode—his right arm still hadn't fully healed. 

"What about you?" Jiraiya countered. 

He knew he couldn't stay safely inside the village forever. Kiba had already been sent to guard the northern frontiers of the Land of Fire alongside the rest of Team 8. 

"Lady Tsunade probably won't keep you here either, right?" 

Jiraiya frowned slightly, then raised what remained of his usable hand and replied, 

"Even with just one hand, I can still wipe you out. Besides, I volunteered to return to the front lines myself." 

"But what about Tamako? Can you really bear to leave her behind alone here?"

"Jiraiya-sama, I beg you, please stay with us."

Naruto kept pleading desperately, trying to talk Jiraiya into staying. Even he knew it was a weak argument—likely because he'd just woken up and his head was still foggy.

Tamako, however, replied nonchalantly,

"Don't worry about me—I can handle myself, seriously. I've still got plenty to do in the village, so I won't be bored at all."

"See? Even Tamako says so," Jiraiya smirked smugly as he saw Naruto at a loss for words. "It's settled then."

"Naruto-sama, you should worry more about yourself," Tamako propped her elbows on the table, resting her chin in her hands. "You've never actually been through a war, have you?"

She had lived through wars herself—but as a civilian, she couldn't offer Naruto the kind of practical advice Jiraiya could.

"You should cherish your current life dearly, because once the war starts, there'll be no time to rest."

Tamako's words left Naruto lost in thought.

Indeed, he'd never experienced real war. To his generation, war had always seemed like a distant thing. Growing up, it had been nothing more than a faraway topic of conversation.

He started thinking about what role Root would play in the coming war.

"Maybe I should reach out to Sai or Maki. They're probably already fully prepared, especially Sai—he probably knows exactly what to do."

Ever since Sai had been chosen as Root's leader, he'd devoted himself completely to preparing for this war. Maybe he really could help. After all, there were things Naruto couldn't do that Sai could.

Jiraiya's face turned serious. "I do have some advice for you. When you find yourself in battle, make sure to act quickly and decisively. Don't waste chakra. These battles could last a long time. I'm not sure how much may have changed since last time."

"How will Amegakure fight?" Naruto asked.

"A lot of genjutsu… a lot of ambushes… especially near small bodies of water."

Jiraiya searched his memories from the Second Great Ninja War for an answer. "Never underestimate rivers, streams—even a puddle after the rain. They can stay perfectly still there for days. They all master the jutsu that lets them blend into water."

"You don't only need to worry about Amegakure," Tamako cut in, concern flickering across her face. "Konoha's forces are stretched too thin. We don't even know how many villages are lining up against us."

Jiraiya chewed furiously at his food before responding.

"There are even more now. When you set off for Sunagakure, my Intel Network uncovered five more villages prepping for war. Fortunately, they're not near the Land of Fire or Konoha itself—which is kind of a silver lining in all this."

"Now isn't it time for you to leave?"

Naruto had been staring at his empty plate for a while.

Jiraiya had no choice but to speak up, pulling him from his thoughts.

He simply nodded in reply, rose from the table, and went back to his room to prepare for the day's tasks.

He looked like a lost soul, which unsettled the other two occupants of the room.

"I've never seen Naruto-sama like this," Tamako whispered uneasily.

Jiraiya shook his head. This was nothing like the pressure he'd felt when preparing to fight Akatsuki members.

War was an entirely different animal, and clearly, Naruto seemed to have realized that.

"No, he's fine. It's normal for him to feel this way when everything is calm and he's anticipating chaos—it's like the calm before the storm. He's just navigating through the fog. Once he throws himself back into battle or receives a mission, he'll pull himself out of it. It's normal for everyone."

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